Wansiri ChaisirinPreechaya WongkrajangTenzin ThoesamNattakarn PraphruetkitTanyaporn NakornchaiSattha RiyapanOnlak RuangsomboonSathima LaiwejpithayaKavisara RattanathummawatRungrudee PavichaiTipa ChakornMahidol UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University2020-05-052020-05-052020-01-01Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. Vol.21, No.2 (2020), 404-410193690181936900X2-s2.0-85082062713https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/54649© 2020 Chaisirin et al. Introduction: Shortening emergency department (ED) visit time can reduce ED crowding, morbidity and mortality, and improve patient satisfaction. Point-of-care testing (POCT) has the potential to decrease laboratory turnaround time, possibly leading to shorter time to decision-making and ED length of stay (LOS). We aimed to determine whether the implementation of POCT could reduce time to decision-making and ED LOS. Methods: We conducted a randomized control trial at the Urgency Room of Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Patients triaged as level 3 or 4 were randomized to either the POCT or central laboratory testing (CLT) group. Primary outcomes were time to decision-making and ED LOS, which we compared using Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test. Results: We enrolled a total of 248 patients: 124 in the POCT and 124 in the CLT group. The median time from arrival to decision was significantly shorter in the POCT group (106.5 minutes (interquartile [IQR] 78.3-140) vs 204.5 minutes (IQR 165-244), p <0.001). The median ED LOS of the POCT group was also shorter (240 minutes (IQR 161.3-410) vs 395.5 minutes (IQR 278.5-641.3), p <0.001). Conclusion: Using a point-of-care testing system could decrease time to decision-making and ED LOS, which could in turn reduce ED crowding.Mahidol UniversityMedicineArticleSCOPUS10.5811/westjem.2019.11.42961