Point of care testing in Hokianga Hospital or 'how to get a good night's sleep in a lab-free zone'

The Hokianga Health Service is a rural health service which incorporates a rural hospital with acute bed capacity as a part of the services it offers. The hospital does not have its own laboratory which traditionally meant that diagnosis and management was heavily reliant on clinical acumen particularly in the out of hours settings, including weekends. In 2008 Point of Care testing was introduced to our service with the object of improving patient management. This addition to our service has been analysed and has shown to be beneficial both in terms of patient care and also in terms of clinician confidence and peace of mind.