RESUMO
Introduction Following the release of the regional circulars recommending the execution of antigen tests for the diagnosis of Sars-Cov2 infection for all patients entering the emergency Department and in case of pre-hospitalization, it was decided to implement a system of POCT (Point-Of-Care) instruments in hospitals throughout the South-East USL area. Materials and methods The managers of the POCT network have provided each hospital with third generation tests capable of guaranteeing a sensitivity of over 95% and a specificity of 100%.The necessary skills for the staff were then determined and training sessions were planned to cover all the staff concerned thanks to the involvement of the specialized staff of the supplier company and the previously trained laboratory staff.Following the training of over 300 operators, its effectiveness was verified through online self-assessment questionnaires and each user was enabled to use the tool with their own identification. The insertion of the identification code for the individual operators, it was possible to monitor the correct performance of the pre-analytical procedures and to implement any corrective measures where necessary. Results All this has ensured, in addition to an optimal collaboration between the laboratory, the supplier company and the emergency room, a high level of data security related to a very low rate of invalid or discordant results. This resulted in a considerable time and cost saving when compared with the need to carry out repeated tests or confirmations with molecular tests. Conclusions This organization has allowed not only a supply of tests with superior performances, but to have a complete traceability of the results following the connection of the instruments to the systems of the hospitals and in the ability to apply the criteria necessary for an aware training of the operators, in accordance with what is reported in the ISO 9001/2015 standard.