Point-of-care tests in general practice: Hope or hype?

Point-of-care tests are biomedical tests on patients’ specimens like blood, saliva, urine or faeces, which can be used near the patient, without interference of a laboratory. The use of these tests, many of which have been recently developed, is increasing in general practice, where they add to the GP's set of diagnostic instruments. The question is, however, whether they always contribute to an effective and high-quality diagnostic process by...