A survey of point of care testing in Irish hospitals: room for improvement.

Background: "Guidelines for safe and effective management and use of point of care testing" have been recently launched in Ireland.

Aims: To survey point of care testing (POCT) services in the Republic of Ireland.

Methods: A questionnaire covering accreditation status, existence of POCT committees, quality management systems, and staff resources was distributed by the Irish External Quality Assessment Scheme (IEQAS).