Using the App

POCT Device Simulator

Premium tool. Open directly at /poct-device-simulator. The simulator has its own page and is also listed on the Training Dashboard, which records your attempts.

Point-of-Care Testing has its own quality requirements — separate user base, separate QC, separate connectivity. This simulator drills the BMS-led aspects of POCT governance.

What it does

• Presents POCT scenarios drawn from A&E, theatres, primary care and ward locations
• Covers operator training principles — competency assessment, re-assessment and traceability
• Drills QC and EQA for POCT — daily/weekly, scheme-specific
• Walks you through connectivity — middleware, LIS interfaces, result push to clinical record
• Handles device incidents — failed QC, lot-change verification, recalibration triggers

Key POCT topics

• Operator competency — initial assessment, periodic re-assessment, traceability
• Lot-to-lot verification — when to do, what to compare against
• Connectivity — wired vs wireless devices, middleware integration
• POCT QC — frequency depends on device class and clinical use
• POCT EQA — UK NEQAS POCT schemes, BSI for connectivity
• Adverse incident reporting — through MHRA Yellow Card / SABRE where applicable

Device classes covered

• Glucose meters — high-volume, simple, intensive QC because clinical decisions are immediate
• Blood gas analysers — semi-quantitative, often near-patient critical-care
• Coagulation POCT — INR, ACT, TEG/ROTEM
• Cardiac biomarkers POCT — troponin, BNP
• Urinalysis — dipstick + connectivity
• Pregnancy / HCG
• HbA1c POCT — primary care
• Infectious disease POCT — COVID-19 antigen, group A strep, HIV

ISO 15189:2022 Annex A

ISO 22870:2016 (the previous POCT standard) was retired and is now incorporated into ISO 15189:2022 Annex A. The simulator teaches what Annex A requires:

• Same quality framework as core lab
• Specific training-record requirements
• Connectivity requirements
• Device-class risk assessment
• Patient-result traceability

Standards alignment

• ISO 15189:2022 Annex A — POCT (replaces ISO 22870:2016, effective 6 December 2025)
• MHRA POCT guidance
• UK NEQAS POCT schemes — current
• NICE Diagnostic Guidance relevant to POCT devices
• POCT Implementation Manual — IBMS / ACB joint guidance

Bands and competency mapping

• Band 5 / 6 — POCT coordinator / supervisor role at one or more clinical areas
• Band 6 / 7 — POCT manager — full service oversight, regulatory liaison, device procurement
• Band 8 — Director-level POCT strategy

Cite completed sessions in your IBMS Specialist Portfolio evidence; POCT spans Clinical Biochemistry, Quality Management and your home specialty.

Common interview question themes

• "Walk me through how you would set up POCT competency tracking across 10 wards"
• "How do you handle a POCT device that fails QC twice in a row?"
• "What changed when ISO 15189:2022 Annex A was incorporated into ISO 15189:2022?"
• "How do you decide whether a POCT device meets your service's needs vs lab-based testing?"