SynthesisBMJ open2020
Impact of point-of-care tests in community pharmacies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Role of Pharmacies in Providing Point-of-Care Services in the Era of Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence: An Updated Review of Technologies, Regulation and Socioeconomic Considerations.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Community pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and concerns about POCT in the UAE: a cross-sectional study.Future science OA · 2025Article
- Evaluating the effect of computer-based education on pharmacist behaviour regarding point-of-care testing.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2025Article
- Community pharmacy-led point-of-care testing (POCT): expanding roles and strengthening health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
- Environmental and personal barriers encountered in community pharmacy settings based on public opinions.Future science OA · 2024Article
- Use of the FebriDx point-of-care test for lower respiratory tract infections in primary care: a qualitative interview study.BJGP open · 2024Article
- Co-creation process of an intervention to implement a multiparameter point-of-care testing device in a primary healthcare setting for non-communicable diseases in Peru.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- The landscape of self-care in Australia: A pharmacy perspective.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2024Article
- Derivation and validation of a blood biomarker score for 2-day mortality prediction from prehospital care: a multicenter, cohort, EMS-based study.Internal and emergency medicine · 2023Article
- Management of Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Services by Community Pharmacists in Osun State Nigeria.Innovations in pharmacy · 2023Article
- Evaluation of Point-of-Care Testing in Pharmacy to Inform Policy Writing by the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Are We Making the Most of Community Pharmacies? Implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship Measures in Community Pharmacies: A Narrative Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Utilizing connectivity and data management system for effective quality management and regulatory compliance in point of care testing.Practical laboratory medicine · 2020Article
- C-reactive protein point of care testing in community pharmacy: Observational study of a Northern Ireland pilot.Pharmacy practiceArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo summarise the literature regarding the use of point-of-care test (POCT) in pharmacies versus control/usual care. DESIGN AND
settingSystematic review and random-effects meta-analysis in community pharmacy. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, ClinicalTrial.gov and Web of Science databases were searched. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Articles were included if they: involved a POCT conducted by a community pharmacist, member of pharmacy staff or local equivalent; measured a clinically relevant outcome for example, clinical parameter monitoring. No clinical condition or language limits were set. PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: No patient involvement. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data were independently extracted by two members of the review team to capture changes in clinical care that resulted from the use of the POCTs. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed, using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and Newcastle-Ottawa scale.
resultsThirteen of the 1584 articles found were included in the meta-analyses. Studies covered four therapeutic areas: targeted anti-malarial therapy (n=3 studies), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in diabetes (n=2 studies), lipid control (n=3 studies) and international normalised ratio (INR) control in patients taking warfarin (n=5 studies). POCT in pharmacies reduced the risk of receiving antimalarial treatment when not clinically indicated (risk ratio 0.34, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.37). Lipid and HbA1c control appeared largely unaffected by pharmacy POCTs, and the impact on INR time-in-therapeutic-range was inconclusive.
conclusionsOnly 4 out of 13 included studies used a gold-standard randomised controlled trial (RCT) design, limiting our ability to conclusively determine the clinical utility of POCT conducted in pharmacies. Further RCTs are needed, particularly in areas such as upper respiratory tract infections, which have gathered momentum among service commissioners in recent years. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017048578.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.