Thrombosis and hemostasis testing at the point of care.

Point-of-care testing provides current, accurate information relating to thrombosis and hemostasis in patients. Several forces are driving point-of-care testing, particularly economic factors and improved technology. Point-of-care testing has the potential to improve patient management and to decrease integrated costs, although this remains to be shown. For such testing to be successful, the technology must be complemented by hospital-wide point-of-care testing programs. The role of the laboratorian and pathologist will become important for coordinating programs, maintaining quality assurance, and promoting quality improvement.