UTFacultiesBMSDept TPSHTSRNewsThe Adoption of Point-of-Care Testing in Primary Care: Health Economic Evidence and Organisational Factors

The Adoption of Point-of-Care Testing in Primary Care: Health Economic Evidence and Organisational Factors PhD Defense Deon Lingervelder

On May 12th from 14.45h till 16.00h, Deon Lingervelder will defend his thesis called “The Adoption of Point-of-Care Testing in Primary Care: Health Economic Evidence and Organisational Factors”.

The ageing population and growing demand for patient-centred healthcare continues to challenge the efficiency of healthcare systems. A format of diagnostic tests that can potentially increase the efficiency of the healthcare system is point-of-care (POC) testing, which is performed nearby the patient, usually needs only a small volume of blood, and provides test results at the time of the clinical decision making. When properly utilized, accurate POC tests can improve patient outcomes and increase the efficiency of health care by providing test results rapidly, resulting in earlier treatment decisions without having to wait for results from a central laboratory.

In his thesis, Deon investigates health economic evidence and organizational factors explaining the slow adoption of POC testing in primary care and provides insight into factors that can improve the potential use and impact of POC testing. The thesis covers three themes, namely (i) the current evidence supporting the implementation of POC testing, (ii) whether the current organisation of healthcare systems are capable of supporting the implementation of POC testing and (iii) the perception of end-users (regarding convenience) and the potential health and economic impact of novel diagnostic devices in primary care.