Introduction
Point-of-care testing (POCT) allows health professionals and trained community members to perform medical diagnostic testing outside the clinical laboratory, at or near, where a patient is receiving care and are used for clinical decision making. POCT helps to achieve greater prominence in health care delivery, where a specimen is collected, and they provide results within minutes rather than hours. Testing at the “point of care” streamlines the diagnostic process and helps ensure patients receive the most effective and efficient care when and where it is needed.
Within Sioux Lookout First Nation communities, the Cepheid Genexpert and Abbott ID Now devices are are used to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infections in various settings:
- Nursing Stations
- Primary Care
- Hospitals
- Tribal Council
SLFNHA continues to provide processes, procedures and the administrative structure to oversee the POCT within communities with the support of community leadership.
Key Points
These training videos and guidance documents provides information on the regulatory requirements for SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care and rapid testing, collecting specimens and performing point-of-care and rapid tests safely and correctly, and information on reporting test results.
This guidance is intended for individuals and facilities who are setting up and performing point-of-care testing and is not intended for at-home specimen collection and testing.
