Executive Summary: Worldwide Point of Care (POC): Are Decentralized Clinical Diagnostics a Cost Drain or Revenue Driver?

Containing a snapshot of the overall market analysis, each Executive Summary provides a description of the scope and methodology used in the report; a summary of results including market size and market growth; a sampling of charts and graphs when available; and a brief look at the trends shaping the market.

The report from which this Executive Summary is compiled is Worldwide Point of Care (POC): Are Decentralized Clinical Diagnostics a Cost Drain or Revenue Driver?, and the full study abstract is as follows:

This report takes a bold look into the markets, technologies, and trends in decentralized testing with a special focus on the economics of rapid test use in critical care and emergency medicine. There is also an emphasis on early disease detection via rapid test use in clinics and public venues. The report is conservative in its predictions and offers a calculated look into the future, based on events currently taking place.

The field for rapid test devices is crowded; worldwide, more than 100 companies market rapid tests using the whole gamut of instruments and technologies that reduce test times to hours or minutes in some cases. Growth in POC testing is fueled by the increasing numbers of diagnosed diabetics, people with cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions. It is also part of a trend in health care to evaluate provider organizations for quality in care delivery. While this quality imperative is most apparent in pay-for-performance systems, it also provides a framework by which public funds can be used more rationally. All countries are feeling the brunt of aging populations and an increased burden of chronic disease management.

The report offers a quantitative assessment of specific markets in US dollars for 2005 to 2015. These data are provided in order to set the status quo of tests and technologies. However the report concentrates on how these will impact the economics of healthcare over the near term and longer when possible.