A new short course focused on Point of Care Testing (POCT) will be offered by the Department of Biomedical Sciences from next month.
The practical-based course believed to be the first of its kind in Africa, was designed at CPUT and will ensure that POCT operators have the necessary background and practical skills to produce a reliable result that meets all international standards.
POCT refers to testing carried out where the patient is or near the patient, and the results are available quickly. POC tests can be done for Covid-19, diabetes, anaemia and several other conditions.
The course will be taught by the Department’s Terry van Jaarsveld, who has many years of experience in operating POCT services in the Middle East and South Africa, and Stellenbosch University’s Prof Rajiv Erasmus, who has been part of international committees to oversee the quality of Point of Care Testing.
“As simple as it may be, health providers must ensure that the results are reliable and accurate and compare well with those obtained from an accredited medical laboratory. This means that all processes involved must be carefully planned, and operators need to be trained and certified and proven capable of carrying out this testing,” they said.
In South Africa, point-of-care testing is conducted in clinics, emergency departments, pharmacies, ambulances, wards, and outpatient departments.
“Implementation of a high standard of quality POCT service must be well-planned and comprise of systematic processes, commencing with simple, but quality sample collection at the testing site, easy-to-use testing formats, and straight-forward interpretation of results.”
Written by Ilse Fredericks
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