This article addresses the clinical, technical, and administrative aspects of the point-of-care testing (POCT) in laboratory medicine. Some of us have been dealing with POCT for a while in Hong Kong and the whole arena is very controversial. Little information is available about the protocols or guidelines for the implementation, operation, or monitoring of such POCT programs. This article will not focus on the benefits of POCT, but the author would like to address the issues of (1) Why do POCT? (2) Should we do testing outside the laboratory and if so, whose responsibility? And (3) The clinical requirements and scientific promise of POCT.

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