POCT Rapid Diagnostic Devices: Point-of-Care Testing
Clinical Laboratory · Medical Equipment · Colombia 2026
Rapid Diagnostic Equipment (POCT): Point-of-Care Patient Testing
POCT rapid diagnostic tests deliver results in 5–30 minutes at the patient's side — troponin in emergency rooms, glucose in ICUs, INR for anticoagulation, influenza in clinics. Technical guide for Colombia 2026
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GSMED Imaging technical team — diagnostic equipment Colombia
Based on: CLSI POCT04-A3 — Point-of-Care Blood Glucose Testing, Abbott i-STAT POCT System, Roche cobas h 232 (rapid troponin), Colombia Ministry of Health Resolution 3100/2019 (POCT laboratory licensing) and 2026 Colombian market data.
POCT (Point-of-Care Testing — point-of-care diagnostics) has transformed emergency and critical care medicine in Colombia: tests that previously required sending the sample to the central laboratory and waiting 60–120 minutes now deliver results in 5–30 minutes at the patient's bedside. This speed can make the difference between detecting a heart attack in time or arriving too late.
1. What is POCT and why is it changing the clinical laboratory
POCT (Point-of-Care Testing) refers to any laboratory test performed outside the central laboratory — in emergency rooms, ICUs, operating rooms, clinics, ambulances, or even at the patient's home — that delivers the result in minutes at the patient's side. POCT technology is advancing toward the miniaturization of analyzers and the wireless integration of results into the electronic health record.
5–30 min
POCT result time vs 60–120 min in the central laboratory
TAT
Turnaround time — the most valued parameter in emergency rooms and critical care
INVIMA
Mandatory INVIMA registration + Minsalud licensing for POCT in Colombian healthcare providers
+15%
Annual growth of the POCT market in Colombia — driven by emergency rooms and ICUs
2. The 8 most used POCTs in Colombia
| POCT test | Result time | Clinical application | Reference equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capillary glucose | 5 seconds | Glucose monitoring in diabetics, insulin adjustment in the ICU | Roche Accu-Chek · Abbott FreeStyle |
| High-sensitivity troponin | 8–15 min | Excluding AMI in emergency rooms — the POCT with the greatest clinical impact | Roche cobas h 232 · Abbott i-STAT |
| Arterial blood gas (ABG) | 2 min | pH, PO₂, PCO₂, HCO₃, lactate — ICU and emergency rooms | Abbott i-STAT · Radiometer ABL90 |
| INR (prothrombin time) | 5–10 min | Warfarin anticoagulation control in clinics or at home | Roche CoaguChek XS · Alere INRatio |
| Rapid PCR (C-reactive protein) | 10 min | Differentiate bacterial from viral infection in emergency clinics | Abbott i-STAT · Mindray POCT |
| Rapid influenza A/B | 15 min | Influenza diagnosis during epidemic season — oseltamivir initiation | Abbott BinaxNOW · Roche cobas Liat |
| Rapid COVID-19 antigen | 15 min | Rapid screening at entry points or emergency rooms — lower sensitivity than PCR | Abbott Panbio · Roche SARS-CoV-2 |
| HbA1c in clinic | 5 min | Glycemic control in diabetes clinics — eliminates the laboratory wait | Siemens DCA Vantage · i-CHROMA |
3. POCT regulation in Colombia — Resolution 3100/2019
What Resolution 3100/2019 of the Ministry of Health requires for POCT in Colombia
Resolution 3100/2019 (which replaced Resolution 2003/2014 for laboratories) establishes that POCT equipment operated in a healthcare provider must: (1) Have a valid INVIMA registration as an in vitro medical device; (2) Have a designated technical manager for the POCT program (generally the bacteriologist or clinical laboratory director); (3) Implement a quality control program with certified control materials; (4) Document the training of non-laboratory personnel who operate the POCT equipment (nurses, emergency physicians) and record that training in the healthcare provider's quality management system; (5) Integrate the results into the patient's electronic health record — ideally through direct connectivity of the POCT equipment.
Can any nurse operate a troponin POCT equipment in the emergency room?
Technically yes, provided the healthcare provider complies with the requirements of Resolution 3100/2019: non-laboratory personnel who operate POCT must receive documented training from the laboratory's technical manager, demonstrate practical competence in using the equipment (including daily quality control), follow the healthcare provider's standard operating procedures (SOP), and correctly record the result in the patient's EHR. Operating POCT without this training and documentation is a non-conformity in the healthcare provider's licensing.
POCT equipment available in Colombia — GSMED
ICU glucometers, rapid troponin, blood gas, and complete POCT panel — with INVIMA registration and local technical support.
Clinical laboratory cluster articles
Sources
- CLSI. POCT04-A3 — Point-of-Care Blood Glucose Testing. clsi.org. CLSI POCT04
- Colombia Ministry of Health. Resolution 3100/2019 — Licensing of healthcare services. minsalud.gov.co. Colombia
- Abbott. i-STAT Alinity System. corelaboratory.abbott. 2026. Abbott i-STAT
- Roche Diagnostics. cobas h 232 — Troponin T POCT. roche.com. 2026. Roche
