NDLI: Point-of-care laboratory testing in primary care: utilization, limitations and perspectives of general practitioners in Germany

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Matthes, Anni Wolf, Florian Schmiemann, Guido Gágyor, Ildikó Bleidorn, Jutta Markwart, Robby
Abstract	Background Due to their fast turnaround time and user-friendliness, point-of-care tests (POCTs) possess a great potential in primary care. The purpose of the study was to assess general practitioners’ (GPs) perspectives on POCT use in German primary care, including utilization, limitations and requirements. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey study among GPs in Germany (federal states of Thuringia, Bremen and Bavaria (Lower Franconia), study period: 04/22–06/2022). Results From 2,014 GPs reached, 292 participated in our study (response rate: 14.5%). The median number of POCTs used per GP was 7.0 (IQR: 5.0–8.0). Six POCTs are used by the majority of surveyed GPs (> 50%): urine dipstick tests (99%), glucose (urine [91%] and plasma [69%]), SARS-CoV-2 (80%), urine microalbumin (77%), troponin I/T (74%) and prothrombin time / international normalized ratio (65%). The number of utilized POCTs did not differ between GP practice type (p = 0.307) and population size of GP practice location (p = 0.099). The great majority of participating German GPs (93%) rated POCTs as useful diagnostic tools in the GP practice. GPs ranked immediate decisions on patient management and the increase in diagnostic certainty as the most important reasons for performing POCTs. The most frequently reported limitations of POCT use in the GP practice were economic aspects (high costs and inadequate reimbursement), concerns regarding diagnostic accuracy, and difficulties to integrate POCT-testing into practice routines (e.g. time and personnel expenses). Conclusion Although participating German GPs generally perceive POCTs as useful diagnostic tools and numerous POCTs are available, several test-related and contextual factors contribute to the relatively low utilization of POCTs in primary care.
Related Links	https://bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12875-023-02054-0.pdf
Ending Page	9
Page Count	9
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	27314553
DOI	10.1186/s12875-023-02054-0
Journal	BMC Primary Care
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	24
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2023-04-11
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	General Practice Family Medicine Primary Care Medicine Point-of-care-tests POCTs Rapid tests primary care GP practice Germany Utilization Diagnostic procedures Survey
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Family Practice
Journal Impact Factor	3.2/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	3.3/2023

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1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
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4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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