A pilot project to help stabilize services in rural emergency departments has been introduced at Maple Creek and Leader hospitals.

Diagnostic testing devices, or Point of Care Testing, will allow for tests to be performed in emergency room departments by trained nurses and other staff while regular laboratory services are temporarily unavailable. This will allow department services to remain open.

Leader and Maple Creek hospitals will each have three new pieces of POCT equipment, each with the ability to run hemoglobin tests, white blood cell counts, and cardiac tests.
A few examples of Point of Care Testing’s capabilities include the ability to determine if a patient immediately requires antibiotics or if they need to be transported to a nearby facility for more serious situations, such as a heart attack.

POCT takes place at the patient’s bedside or hospital location and provides results in under 30 minutes, enabling the physician or care provider to make quick and informed decisions about the care of the patient.

In a news release, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Integrated Rural Health, Physician Executive Dr. Johann Roodt says that the equipment is it extremely helpful in situations where there is a need for rapid results affecting critical patient care in the emergency room in the temporary absence of lab staff.