American journal of clinical pathology
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Am. J. Clin. Pathol. · Feb 2001
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialPoint-of-care prothrombin time measurement for professional and patient self-testing use. A multicenter clinical experience. Oral Anticoagulation Monitoring Study Group.
We enrolled 386 subjects in a multicenter study of a point-of-care (POC) prothrombin time (PT) testing device. POC tests were performed by health care professionals using venous and finger-stick specimens and by patients using finger-stick specimens. Venous blood also was analyzed in the local hospital laboratory and a national reference laboratory. ⋯ Patients overwhelmingly reported satisfaction with the self-test, including the finger stick and device operation. The INR from the POC device is clinically equivalent to the laboratory INR for assessment of anticoagulation status and management decisions in professional and self-testing environments. Patients can learn to perform accurate PT testing, and POC PT testing is feasible in patients' homes.