Utility of point of care tests in general practice

You are invited to participate in a study to assess the utility of point of care tests (POCTs) in primary care settings by general practitioners, and exploration of factors which influence the decision to adopt new POCTs for patient diagnosis and management.

Research institution: KU Leuven - Ethics committee: Research Ethics Committee UZ/KU Leuven

Researchers: Tine De Burghgraeve, tine.deburghgraeve@kuleuven.be; Jan Verbakel, jan.verbakel@kuleuven.be

Objectives and conduct of the study

To bridge the gap between the available POCTs and their actual use in primary care, it is crucial to understand the priorities of primary care clinicians. Identifying these priorities can aid in the development and implementation of new tests that meet the practical needs of clinicians.

This survey will be distributed in countries with a representative in the special interest group POCT of WONCA. To participate in this study, you must be a general practitioner. We hereby ask you to complete an online questionnaire that gauges the use or expertise of point of care tests. This questionnaire is anonymous. No personal data will be collected. Participating in the study takes up to 15 minutes.

If you are participating in this study, you should know that:

• This study (MP031927) was conducted after evaluation by EC Research UZ/KU Leuven.
• Your participation is voluntary; there can be no coercion in any way.
• The data collected as part of your participation will be completely anonymous. No personal data such as name, date of birth, address, etc. are collected. When the results are published, your anonymity is assured.
• If you would like additional information on how we use your anonymous data, as well as in case of problems, additional questions or if you have any concerns, you can contact the researcher Tine De Burghgraeve at tine.deburghgraeve@kuleuven.be or at the phone number +32 16 32 37 76. The research centre's data protection officer is also at your disposal and can be contacted by mail: dpo@kuleuven.be.
• If you have any questions regarding your rights as a study participant, please contact the Ethics Committee Research UZ/KU Leuven (ec@uzleuven.be; +32 16 34 86 00 (working days between 10 and 11 am)).
• Finally, if you have a complaint about the processing of your data, you can contact the Belgian supervisory authority that monitors compliance with the fundamental principles of personal data protection:
• The Belgian regulatory body is called: Data protection authority (GBA), Printing Press Street 35, 1000 Brussels; Tel +32 2 274 48 00; e-mail: contact@apd-gba.be; Website: www.gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit.be