Final Report

The final report on the trial is available for viewing at the Australian Point of Care Practitioners' Network (APPN) website.

For queries about PoCT, please email the NPAAC Secretariat.

Trial objectives

The objectives of the trial were to:

• investigate and evaluate the clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and safety of PoCT in a general practice setting for a Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) assessment;
• investigate and evaluate the benefits to the patient and general practitioner and the potential health outcomes of use of PoCT devices in a general practice setting; and
• evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of the quality framework which has been developed for the trial.

Tests undertaken

Patients who were undergoing anticoagulant therapy or who had established hyperlipidaemia or diabetes participated in the trial. The pathology tests trialled were:

• International Normalised Ratio (INR);
• Total Cholesterol (TC), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Triglycerides (TG); and
• Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), microalbumin.

During the trial these tests were only used for the monitoring of diagnosed conditions. Initial diagnosis or population screening was not permitted in the trial.

Scope

The trial consisted of over 50 general practices with half of those practices acting as a control group for the trial. Accredited practices from urban, rural and remote areas were selected against detailed criteria.