A modified Delphi study asked experts from 20 European countries which point-of-care tests out-of-hours primary care services should hold. After a questionnaire on current availability, panellists rated 28 tests as essential, optional or unnecessary, then met in a workshop and re-voted anonymously, with consensus set at 66.6% agreement.
Six tests were rated essential: blood glucose, urine dipstick, C-reactive protein, pregnancy testing, electrocardiography and haemoglobin measurement. Twelve were optional and ten unnecessary. The panel raised concerns about inappropriate use, variable clinician confidence and patient demand. The authors suggest that essential tests need training and governance, and that optional ones should follow local needs.
This is expert opinion on a European service model, not evidence that these tests improve outcomes. For a clinic in India, the list is a reasonable checklist against what is stocked, but the right set depends on local disease patterns, distance from a laboratory and what the tests would change in management. Using C-reactive protein to guide antibiotic choice should follow your local protocol.
- Check whether your clinic can do glucose, urine dipstick, pregnancy testing, haemoglobin and an ECG on the spot.
- Consider CRP testing where it will support antibiotic decisions in respiratory infection, under a local protocol.
- Train staff on when each test should and should not be used, and who acts on the result.
- Keep the list tied to your setting, including laboratory access and disease patterns.
- Audit inappropriate use, a concern the panel raised.
Why it matters
It gives clinics a defined starting kit instead of an ad hoc collection of rapid tests.
Don't overread it
This is a consensus of European experts, not evidence that stocking these tests improves care or outcomes.
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