Point-of-Care/Collection Testing: Application to Drugs of Misuse Testing

Abstract

Point-of-collection testing (POCT) is a relatively simple and rapid testing approach that can be applied in many areas, including infectious disease, the monitoring of cholesterol and drugs of abuse testing. Since its inception in the early 1970’s and subsequent commercialisation, initially in the form of a lateral flow pregnancy test kit, POCT has become recognised for its ability to provide the end user with rapid results. Some of the early drugs of abuse testing devices demonstrated poor performance when assessed against samples from known drug users. More recently, the sensitivity and specificity of these devices have greatly improved. However, it is still important to understand the expected performance characteristics of their intended use within the field, as well as to ensure that the degree of cross-reactivity to common substances has been well characterised. Today, there are multiple POCT devices available for drugs of abuse, covering a continually expanding testing panel in several different matrices. Whilst these devices can offer a direct benefit to the end user in terms of obtaining a rapid result, the limitations of this technology must also be taken into consideration when interpreting results obtained from these devices.