PT / INR Point of Care (POC) Testing

Challenges in Traditional Clinic/Lab PT Testing Traditional PT testing involves performing the PT/INR test at a clinic or lab, with multiple steps for both patient and professional. The age and condition of the typical oral anticoagulation patient make traditional testing challenges clear:

Many patients must drive to a clinic or lab
Long wait time for test results: 45 mins - 1 hour
Only medical personnel can perform the test
Complex multi-step testing procedure
Time-consuming management of patient therapy

As technology improves, PT testing is migrating from traditional labs to Point of Care sites such as clinics, physician offices, and even the patient's home, yet certain shortcomings still exist, such as in the area of quality control.

Challenges in Quality Control for Current Point of Care Testing Devices
Since erroneous or inaccurate PT results can have a damaging effect on patients, it is essential that the device passes quality control tests to confirm the reliability and accuracy of the test. Existing devices require some or all of the following from the patient or medical professional to perform proper quality control:

Purchase of secondary external control devices
Complicated multi-step quality control procedure
Use of multiple drops of blood
Costly additional control strips/liquid chemicals
Longer time to complete PT test plus control
Results of control must be recorded/maintained

HemoSense has developed the INRatio meter, a next generation Point of Care device, to address the many challenges of oral anticoagulant therapy, traditional lab testing, and quality control:

No external quality control checks needed
No calibration is required
Self-diagnostics detect testing problems
Test requires only one drop of blood
Entire test procedure requires fewer steps
PT results displayed in 2 minutes
Ensures reliability on each and every test
Reduces paperwork and materials cost

Learn about the migration towards Patient Self-Testing >>