ArticleBMC family practice2021
Clinician perspectives on having point of care tests made available to them during out of hours home visiting.
Article in BMC family practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of qualitative and mixed methods research in diagnostic technology evaluation and implementation: insights from a systematic review.Diagnostic and prognostic research · 2026Review
- Evolving perceptions of point-of-care-technologies: Results from a nationwide survey of healthcare professionals.Journal of clinical and translational science · 2025Article
- Use of the FebriDx point-of-care test for lower respiratory tract infections in primary care: a qualitative interview study.BJGP open · 2024Article
- Point-of-care testing and antibiotics prescribing in out-of-hours general practice: a register-based study in Denmark.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Facilitators and barriers of the implementation of point-of-care devices for cardiometabolic diseases: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- The Impact of Point-of-Care Blood C-Reactive Protein Testing on Prescribing Antibiotics in Out-of-Hours Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Evaluation.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLittle is known about clinicians' perspectives on the use of point of care (POC) tests in assessment of acute illness during primary care out of hours (OOH) care. During a service improvement project, POC tests (including creatinine, electrolytes, haemoglobin and lactate) were made available to clinicians undertaking OOH home visits, with the clinicians allowed absolute discretion about when and whether they used them.
methodTo explore clinicians' perspectives on having POC tests available during OOH home visits, we undertook a qualitative study with clinicians working in Oxfordshire OOH home visiting teams. We conducted 19 Semi-structured interviews with clinicians working in OOH, including those who had and had not used the POC tests available to them. To explore evolving perspectives over time, including experience and exposure to POC tests, we offered clinicians the opportunity to be interviewed twice throughout the study period. Our sample included 7 GPs (4 interviewed once, 3 interviewed twice - earlier and later during the study), 6 emergency practitioners (EPs) including advanced nurse practitioners and paramedics, 1 Healthcare Assistant, and 2 ambulatory care physicians. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.
resultsThe clinicians reflected on their decision-making to use (or not use) POC tests, including considering which clinical scenarios were "appropriate" and balancing the resources and time taken to do POC tests against what were perceived as likely benefits. The challenges of using the equipment in patients' homes was a potential barrier, though could become easier with familiarity and experience. Clinicians who had used POC tests described benefits, including planning onward care trajectories, and facilitating communication, both between professionals and with patients and their families.
conclusionClinicians described a discriminatory approach to using POC tests, considering carefully in which situations they were likely to add value to clinical decision-making.
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Registered trials
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