Criterion PoCT2.1 – Qualifications, education and training of PoCT practitioners

Having PoCT practitioners who are trained reduces the risk of errors and safeguards the validity of results that inform clinical decision making, ensuring that your practice provides patients with safe, quality care.

The organisation responsible for providing the PoCT service must provide evidence that all PoCT practitioners: 

• are suitably trained 
• maintain the knowledge and skills that enable them to perform PoCT 
• work within their scope of practice and competencies.  

Your practice must maintain records that clearly show that the training of PoCT practitioners is appropriate for the PoCT they perform. 

All PoCT practitioners must receive updated training if: 

• significant changes to the PoCT method/s are introduced 
• a new test and/or instrument is introduced 

An individual PoCT practitioner must receive updated training if: 

• a competency issue with that practitioner has been identified.

Training may cover areas such as the following:  

General 

• Your practice’s policies 
• Overview of clinical purposes  

PoCT system 

• Basic principles of analysis, calibration, bias, precision, range, sensitivity, specificity, interferences, method evaluation and method comparison 
• Normal test performance according to the manufacturer’s instructions 
• Recognition of malfunctions and appropriate actions 
• Error messages and actions 
• Storage of consumables 
• Care, maintenance and decontamination of your PoCT system  

Patients and specimens 

• Appropriate information for patients – including what the test is and why it is being done
• Patient preparation 
• Specimen collection techniques 
• Specimen identification and labelling 
• Specimen handling and stability 
• Recognition of unsuitable specimens 
• Patient and staff safety  

Results 

• Recognition of abnormal, clinically urgent and erroneous results 
• Documentation of the testing episode 
• Data management  

Quality 

• Principles and procedures of PoCT quality control testing and external quality assurance programs 
• Assessment of acceptable/unacceptable quality control testing and external quality assurance results, and appropriate actions  

Assessment of PoCT practitioners 

Practice team members must be assessed for competency in all aspects of their PoCT duties and responsibilities.   

The Australian Point of Care Practitioner’s Network 

The APPN is an online platform that provides professional development programs for all PoCT practitioners. PoCT practitioners can also maintain an electronic record of their continuing professional development (CPD) on the APPN’s portal.

Related Criteria 

C8.1 – Education and training of non-clinical staff 

GP3.1 – Qualifications, education and training of healthcare practitioners 

PoCT2.1  A Members of our practice team who perform PoCT must: 

• have undertaken training 
• participate in training and education updates.  

You must: 

• provide evidence that PoCT practitioners can demonstrate competency in PoCT  
• provide evidence that PoCT practitioners receive regular training and education updates 
• provide evidence that all PoCT practitioners receive training updates when: 
• significant changes to method(s) are introduced 
• new tests and/or instruments are introduced 
• provide evidence that individual PoCT practitioners receive training updates when a competency issue with that practitioner has been identified.

You could:  

• record each employee’s qualifications in your employment files 
• keep a training calendar that lists PoCT professional development and training opportunities 
• store documents that record training needs and training completed 
• conduct annual performance reviews that identify learning and development goals 
• keep training logs that record training that PoCT practitioners have completed.