Study: POC testing for infectious diseases could spell opportunity for community pharmacy

NEW YORK — Recent research suggests that point-of-care testing for infectious diseases in community pharmacies could not only benefit patients but could also represent an opportunity for pharmacy as they look to strengthen their foothold along the front lines of health care.



The research, titled “Point-of-care testing for infectious diseases: Opportunities, barriers, and considerations in community pharmacy,” was published in the Journal of American Pharmacists Association.



According to researchers, “POC testing for infectious diseases could benefit patients and society, and represents an opportunity to expand pharmacy services in community pharmacies. Existing barriers to the implementation of such services in community pharmacies, including deficits in pharmacist training and education, along with state regulatory and legislative variance and vagueness in statutes governing pharmacy, are not insurmountable.”