Abstract
Point-of-care testing (POCT) refers to laboratory diagnostic testing determined outside the clinical laboratory, in a setting near where the patient is being treated. Blood gas analysis is relevant in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management. Despite its potential benefits of POCT, there are few studies that have assessed its operational and economic impact.
The aim of our study is to determine the overall cost per process of COPD outpatient care when the blood gas measurement was performed in a pulmonologist office or in clinical laboratory.
A prospective study of 112 outpatients, stages III to IV COPD, was carried out. They undergo an arterial blood gas measurement that was performed both in pulmonology office as POCT and in Departament of Laboratory Medicine. We analyzed the cost of the process based on whether the process was conducted in the pulmonology office or in the laboratory.
The median turnaround time elapsed from specimen collection to receiving the blood gas report for the pulmonary office and for the laboratory were 1 and 79 min, respectively. If we consider only the costs related to human and material resources for conducting the blood gas measurement, the costs came to 3.47€ per measurement for the pulmonology office and 1.35€ in the clinical laboratory. However, when considering all issues involved, from the blood gas analysis request by the doctor to the indication (or not) for LTOT, the overall cost by process for the 112 patients in each unit was €16,769.89 and €22,260.97, respectively. This represents a difference of 24.7%.
We conclude that there is an overall cost per process in the pulmonary office that is 24.7% lower than that of the clinical laboratory.
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