Effectiveness of Unified Computerized Reporting of Point-of-Care Glucose Meter Test

Dear Editor, In the evolving landscape of the medical field, there is a growing emphasis on the significance of standardized records for integrating, managing, and sharing data across multiple institutions [1]. This emphasis is clearly demonstrated through initiatives such as the Health Information Exchange Service promoted by the Korea Health Information Service as well as the growing interest in big data research. Most laboratory test results are uniformly reported through laboratory information systems (LISs), which leads to standardized data [2]. However, data of point-ofcare (POC) tests, like point-of-care glucose meter tests (PGMTs), are not standardized [3]. Although many Korean and global medical institutions have adopted computerized reporting to ensure the reliability of PGMT results [4], the extent and scope of this implementation differ substantially depending on the acceptance of data integration and standardization among medical staff. This discrepancy often results in fragmented data that are neither easily accessible nor shareable across the hospital, leading to incomplete or inaccurate patient records [1, 5]. To address these issues and promote more efficient hospital operations and patient care, we share our experience of implementing unified computerized PGMT reporting. At Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital (Bucheon, Korea), PGMT results had been processed through various procedures and methods, depending on the department where the patient is undergoing the test (Fig. 1A). We computerized and unified the reporting and prescription of PGMT (Fig. 1B). Barozen H Expert Plus (i-SENS, Seoul, Korea) was used as the POC glucose meter [6]. To evaluate the effect of unified computerized PGMT reporting, amount of test strip usage, accessible test results reported through the PGMT record or LIS, and number of requests (where “requests” refers to the charges for the tests) were reviewed before (January 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020) and after implementation (August 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022). The number of internal quality control (IQC) parameters before computerized reporting was approximated by multiplying the number of POC glucose meter by the count of QC materials and working days. All the statistical analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel 2019 (v1808; Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA). This study was approved by the Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital Institutional Review Board (SCHBC 2023-03-005, noted April 2023), and the requirement for written informed consent was waived. As shown in Fig. 2A, the sum of the number of accessible reEffectiveness of Unified Computerized Reporting of Point-of-Care Glucose Meter Test