TS EN ISO 22870

TS EN ISO 22870 is the standard concerned with quality and competence for point-of-care testing (POCT). It addresses the organisational and technical discipline needed to carry out tests close to the patient in a reliable, traceable and consistent way. Because POCT is valued for speed and immediate clinical usefulness, the quality of the overall process matters as much as the device itself, and the competence of the people performing the test is a central part of that equation.

What quality and competence mean in POCT

In general technical terms, POCT covers analyses performed near the patient, such as glucose testing, blood gas measurements, certain infection markers or urgent biochemistry assays. In these settings, rapid turnaround is the main advantage, but the pre-analytical stage, sample integrity, device calibration, operator training and result reporting all influence the final reliability of the outcome. The title of this standard shows that its focus is not the analytic chemistry alone, but the quality framework and competence structure that support trustworthy service delivery.

Why point-of-care testing needs a dedicated framework

Compared with a central laboratory, POCT is often distributed across multiple clinical locations, may operate with less direct technical supervision, and can involve users with very different levels of expertise. For that reason, device selection, staff competence, internal and external quality control, maintenance practices and records management are commonly important topics in this field. This standard provides a quality-and-competence framework for that technical need; however, this product description does not assume the detailed requirements of the full text.

• Applies to patient-near testing used to support timely clinical decisions.
• Combines quality assurance thinking with user competence considerations.
• Highlights the need for consistency and traceability outside the central laboratory.
• Useful for understanding the training, organisation and operating discipline behind POCT systems.