Blood glucose point-of-care testing quality assessment and harmonization with central laboratory assays

Quality assessment programs use internal and external quality control monitoring to assess test performance and emphasize adequate user training through periodic assessment of their competency. For pointof-care testing (POCT) of glucose within an institution, a 2-step quality assessment procedure is suggested. The first step of point-of-care (POC) glucose analyzer quality control involves the use of appropriate control materials to assess analyzer functionality, and the next step involves POC sample result confirmation by the central laboratory, to ensure consistent resulting for patients. Point-of-care glucose measurements and routine control material analysis are to be performed by the POCT personnel. The second step of quality assessment for glucose POCT involves qualified personnel from the central laboratory and requires periodic confirmatory testing of patient samples using appropriately qualified and traceable procedures of known analytical performance (eg, the routine chemistry analyzer glucose assay).