Stepwise approach to developing point-of-care testing services in the community/ambulatory pharmacy setting.

Objective: To provide a stepwise approach to development and implementation of a point-of-care testing (POCT) patient care service.

Setting: Community and ambulatory care pharmacy practice.

Practice Description: To provide community and ambulatory pharmacists with the steps involved in integrating POCT services into their pharmacy practice site.

Practice Innovation: Authors used various resources to detail the process of implementing pharmaceutical care in community or ambulatory pharmacy settings in combination with individual practice experiences. The five steps involved in developing a POCT service include conducting a needs assessment, researching and organizing information, developing program materials, implementing the service, and evaluating the service. The narrative description of each step is illustrated by a case study example.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: Not applicable.

Results/conclusion: POCT patient care services are a valuable addition to a pharmacy's services, benefiting patients, health care providers, and the pharmacy. This article presents a structured, deliberate approach with resources that can be used to develop a successful POCT service within a community or ambulatory pharmacy setting.