New Point of Care Testing course a first for Africa

CPUT’s new Point of Care Testing (POCT) short course is the first of its kind on the African continent.

The fully accredited POCT course is unique in that it offers a practical component and is being offered at university level.

The five-day course, offered by the Department of Biomedical Sciences, aims to equip students with the necessary knowledge and practical skills on POCT.

POCT refers to testing conducted next to or close to the patient, whether at the bedside, in clinics, GP practices, or pharmacies, and provides results in a short time. This could include blood glucose, TB, CD4 count, and other tests.

The course was developed by Theresa van Jaarsveld from the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Adjunct Professor, Rajiv Erasmus, who is a consultant to the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry on point of care.

It is coordinated by Dr Yvonne Prince, senior lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

“Point of care testing is a discipline that is growing by the day, and it complements laboratory testing. POCT reduces the therapeutic turnaround time,” said Van Jaarsveld.

“Because of our health care status in South Africa, which is a little bit lacking, we need to become more patient-centric, where we take healthcare to the patient. And how do we do that? We perform more and more testing at the patient’s bedside, GP surgeries, or in clinics that are in pharmacies so that the patient goes to the doctor, has the test done there, they get the result and they can be treated. So, it’s almost like implementing a one-stop shop.”

Erasmus said POCT could also be used for disaster management.

“You can use this testing in remote locations where labs are not available. So, in primary healthcare, it is very important. In Africa it is used in many primary healthcare centres and in South Africa, point of care testing has been used a lot for TB, for HIV, for doing CD4 counts, for doing viral loads etc. It has multiple uses.”

He said one of the standout features of the course is the inclusion of a practical training component, making it the first of its kind in Africa to offer hands-on experience alongside theoretical learning. This ensures that participants not only understand the principles behind POCT but can also apply them confidently in real-world healthcare settings. The course takes place over five days – with four days of online learning and one day of practical training.

Nine students enrolled for the first intake earlier this month and seven instrument vendors attended the practical training.

Click here for more information on the course.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

Email: Frederickskennediji@cput.ac.za