The rising tide of point-of-care testing in India – Navigating the future of immediate diagnostics

In recent years, the healthcare landscape in India has witnessed a significant shift toward more decentralized and patient-centric diagnostic approaches, especially in ICUs, critical care, and emergency departments. At the forefront of this transformation is the burgeoning market for point-of-care (POC) testing, a critical innovation that promises to redefine patient care in emergency. The ethos driving this shift is clear – in the battle against time-sensitive health emergencies, every minute counts in saving a life.

The demand is particularly pronounced in critical care units, where the immediacy of test results can be the difference between life and death. This surge is also driven by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions requiring frequent monitoring.

Financial investments in the healthcare sector and government initiatives for infrastructure catalyze the market growth. The advent of Covid-19 has only accelerated this momentum, spotlighting the indispensable value of rapid testing in managing public health crises. Consequently, healthcare providers across India are increasingly integrating POC testing solutions, striving to minimize the critical golden minutes or hours that could otherwise jeopardize patient survival.

The technological evolution within the POC testing landscape is equally impressive, marked by continuous advancements aimed at improving compactness, handiness, accuracy, speed, and accessibility. Innovations span a broad spectrum from compact, user-friendly devices for blood glucose monitoring to sophisticated systems capable of performing a wide array of tests, including immuno-fluorescence assay equipment, blood gases, electrolytes, and infectious diseases, at the patient’s bedside.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are pivotal in this technological revolution, enhancing the precision of POC diagnostics and enabling predictive analytics to forecast potential health crises before they escalate. Connectivity and inter-operability are other critical trends, with devices seamlessly integrating with electronic health records, ensuring that critical data is readily available when making treatment decisions.

Moreover, the development of non-invasive testing methods marks a significant milestone, offering patients a less discomforting experience while maintaining diagnostic accuracy. Such technological strides are making POC testing more effective, more accessible and acceptable to a broader segment of the Indian population.

The journey from a day filled with anxiety and waiting to the forefront of healthcare innovation underscores the transformative potential of POC diagnostics. By offering immediate, accurate, and accessible testing, POC empowers healthcare providers and patients alike, setting a new standard for patient care. In the spirit of continuous improvement and innovation, the path forward for POC diagnostics is clear – to enhance patient experiences, streamline healthcare operations, and ultimately, save lives by making every minute count.

Agappe, your best partner in diagnostics, proudly presents Mispa ChemDx – an automated POC dry biochemistry analyzer. Mispa Chem Dx works with the latest microfluidic technology, covering all the principles of clinical chemistry testing with best-quality reporting in a shorter turnaround time. ChemDx is broadly covering the major biochemistry assays in our three comprehensive test profiles, which comprise general chemistry – with 19 parameters, renal and electrolytes with 10 parameters, and liver profile with 10 parameters, with less than 0.1 mL of whole blood, and in 12 minutes.

New launch from Agappe’s Acutecare in FY’25 are Mispa A1C, Mispa BGLyte (blood gas analyzer), Mispa Lyte (electrolyte) and POC CLIA cardiac biomarker analyzer PATHFAST.