Global Point of Care
Make better, faster decisions in the moment.
From remote regions around the world to the clinic around the corner, when it comes to diagnosis and treatment, every moment counts.
improving access to healthcare with poct
Explore the map for real-life stories* of how POCT improves access to healthcare
* Some names and locations have been changed, to protect the privacy of individuals and institutions featured.
It’s been estimated that half the time, antibiotics are prescribed for symptoms caused by viruses, on which they have no effect.1
Battling superbugs with rapid diagnostics
Unnecessary prescriptions are producing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Find out if access to point-of-care testing can change the picture.
It reads like a sci-fi horror story: a deadly new strain of microbe evolves, impervious to all medicines, and threatens to decimate the human race. Here’s the shocking twist: The danger is real. Worse yet, we humans have helped bring it on ourselves, mostly through rampant overuse of antibiotics.2
In response to the crisis, the World Health Organization has called on healthcare professionals to resist prescribing antibiotics unless they’re truly needed.3
That’s easier said than done. “Patients demand antibiotics for themselves or their children since that is what they are accustomed to and if they don’t get satisfaction from one doctor, they will go to one that will give them what they want,” writes Norman Moore, PhD, Abbott Director of Scientific Affairs, Infectious Diseases.4
But what if healthcare professionals could access diagnostic results in minutes, not hours or days, so they could tell patients whether an antibiotic prescription would make sense — in the moment, at the point of care?
Why the CRP rapid test? It was chosen because it’s reasonably inexpensive and easy to perform.
An international study put rapid diagnostics to the test.
Dr. Carles Llor is one of the leaders of the international Happy Audit study of antibiotic overuse. He supervised a phase of the study that took place in Spain. It focused on treatment of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) and whether rapid, accurate diagnosis at the point of care can prevent over-prescription.5
Primary care physicians in the study performed a POCT C-reactive protein (CRP) and Strep A rapid test, using Afinion™ CRP and Clearview® Exact Strep A.
The CRP rapid test was chosen because it’s reasonably inexpensive and easy to perform. It requires less than a drop of blood, and results are available in about three minutes. Furthermore, an organized hospital lab isn’t needed. The test can be performed directly by clinicians or nursing staff.5
The moment of truth.
The study’s findings showed that 40% of antibiotic prescriptions being written for LRTIs were wrong.
They also indicated that unnecessary prescriptions can be greatly reduced when healthcare professionals have the opportunity to perform CRP tests in their offices. Antibiotic prescription was lower among the physicians using the CRP rapid test (44%) compared with those who did not use the test (62%).5
Study conclusion: We must encourage public administrations to embrace the use of CRP in primary care. Now that’s one prescription we can all live with.
View References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013. July 2014. http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/threat-report-2013/index.html
- The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. Tackling drug-resistant infections globally: Final report and recommendations. 2016.
- World Health Organization. WHO’s first global report on antibiotic resistance reveals serious, worldwide threat to public health. April 30, 2014. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2014/amr-report/en/. Accessed on October 29, 2016.
- Moore, Norman. Don’t Take that Antibiotic. You Might Get... Fat? The Overuse of Antibiotics Meets the Science of Healthy Microbiomes. June 30, 2016. Available at: https://www.globalpointofcare.abbott/en/knowledge-insights/viewpoints/antibiotic-fat.html.
- Llor, Carlos, et al. Interventions to reduce antibiotic prescription for lower respiratory tract infections: Happy Audit study. December 19, 2011. http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/erj/40/2/436.full.pdf.
Featured in this Story:
Afinion™ CRP
Afinion™ CRP is a rapid, in vitro diagnostic test that helps reduce diagnostic uncertainty and guide antibiotic decision-making.
Raised cholesterol: an equal opportunity killer4
Raised cholesterol afflicts adults (over 190 mg/dl) afflicts adults (25+) across global regions, genders and income levels.4
High cholesterol: The road to early detection runs through Rio
Can a superior testing experience help healthcare professionals catch cardiovascular risk before it’s too late?
The World Health Organization estimates that raised cholesterol causes 2.6 million deaths worldwide each year.1 Early detection could help save lives and improve quality of life.2 But in many parts of the world, conventional labs are hard to get to, and tests can be expensive and time-consuming.2 That may be one reason tens of millions of cases of high cholesterol go undiagnosed.3
There are no signs or symptoms of high cholesterol.5 A simple blood test is the only way to know if you’re at higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
Bringing the vanguard of POCT to Rio
Easy access to POCT could encourage more people to get their cholesterol checked. Abbott wanted to test that premise. And since high cholesterol is such a global problem, where better to find out than Brazil in Summer 2016 — when the world came to Rio?
The Abbott Van is a mobile diagnostics unit, customized for point of care testing (POCT). It can carry and perform more than 90 rapid tests, point of care systems and high tech solutions for rapid diagnosis. That testing speed can help healthcare professionals diagnose cardiovascular issues quickly and accurately. And the van’s mobility makes testing accessible in areas where conventional labs aren’t readily available.
The most impressive numbers of all came when patients rated their experience
99% overall satisfaction
95% of patients scored their experience a 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5)
86% said they prefer POCT over traditional lab testing
90% would switch to POCT6
Point-of-care testing goes mobile
The van came to Rio on an itinerant lipid profile testing campaign, seeking to encourage healthy habits and discourage symptoms negligence.
With the support from Society of Cardiology of Rio de Janeiro Estate (Socerj), the Abbott Van team aimed to establish a culture of prevention and early diagnosis.
In just four days, 6,618 biometric cardiovascular risk metrics were performed using Cholestech LDX® Analyzer.6
The first step in identifying cardiovascular risk is getting patients tested. But in situations where you can’t get them to come to the lab, take it from Rio — bring the lab to the patients.
Featured in this Story:
Cholestech LDX® Analyzer
The CLIA-waived Cholestech LDX® Analyzer provides results that are accurate, actionable and readily accessible. It sets the standard for point-of-care lipid profile, cholesterol and glucose testing.
View References
- World Health Organization. Raised cholesterol: Situation and trends. 2016. Available at: http://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/cholesterol_text/en/. Accessed on October 29, 2016.
- World Health Organization (WHO). Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment. WHO global report. (2005). http://www.who.int/chp/chronic_disease_report/contents/en/.
- Gregory A Roth et al. High total serum cholesterol, medication coverage and therapeutic control: an analysis of national health examination survey data from eight countries. Bull World Health Organ 2011;89:92–101.
- World Health Organization. Global Health Observatory data repository: Raised total cholesterol (≥5.0 mmol/L): Data by WHO region. 2008. Available at: http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.2570?lang=en. Accessed on <Month date>, 2016.
- CDC. High Cholesterol Signs and Symptoms. March 16, 2015. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/signs_symptoms.htm. Accessed on October 29, 2016.
- Alere Inc. internal data.
