A randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of upfront point-of-care testing on emergency department treatment time

Objectives: To compare standard emergency department (ED) workflow to a protocolized pathway using upfront point-of-care (POC) tests performed prior to doctor evaluation to determine if this could produce a significant reduction in treatment time. Methods: We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Patients were randomized to receive the standard of care or one of the enhanced workflow pathways with POC tests. Results: There were 1,044 patients enrolled. All workflows, except electrocardiogram and low-dose x-ray (LODOX), exceeded the outcome measure (20% reduction in treatment time). It was significantly shorter compared with the control workflow if the patient received any (i-STAT + CBC)-containing workflows (P = .0001, P = .020, P = .0009, P = .011), as well as the i-STAT + LODOX workflows (P = .0001, P = .034). Conclusions: The full benefit of POC testing can be realized if it is implemented prior to doctor evaluation, as part of a standardized procedure in the ED. This allows for a more rapid availability of investigation results subsequently leading to decreased treatment times.