Color Vision Testing for POCT

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Having color blindness or color vision deficiencies may have significant impact regarding POCT, especially if the test requires accurate color discrimination for safety reasons.
Is there a requirement for color vision testing for staff that perform POCT?  

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Our employee health department sends us the names of staff that do not pass the color blindness assessment, and we maintain records in our department, as they are not to interpret testing such as occult bloods.

Thank you, Donna
 Is the color-blind assessment part of the onboarding process for newly hired staff?

Both CAP and JC have color vision requirements, they are not specific to POC but apply to all staff performing testing.
  • CAP's specific regulation regarding this is:  | GEN.55400 | Visual Color Discrimination

A Color-blind assessment is part of our on-boarding of all new hires

Thank You, Jeremy
That information is helpful.

Our employee health does not perform a color vision assessment and not all color blindness or color vision deficiencies affect the specific test you are using.  The CAP requirement allows for evaluation limited to the colored items pertinent for the job.  Staff that perform visual POC testing here have to pass an initial training quiz with examples of negative, equivocal (if applicable), weak positive, and strong positive results.

Personnel are tested for visual color discrimination.
NOTE: Personnel performing testing or other tasks that require color discrimination should be evaluated for difficulty with visual color discrimination. Evaluation is not required for personnel who do not perform such functions. Evaluation limited to discrimination of those colored items pertinent to the job is sufficient.
Evidence of Compliance:
✓ Record of color discrimination testing or functional assessment, if indicated OR
✓ Documented acknowledgement that testing was performed


Thank You, Danielle

You can work with your Employee Health department and ask the color blind testing be part of the EMPLOYEE on boarding requirements. Many already are doing it, all you have to do is work with them. They already have the tools to test it or it you want you can purchase the Ishihara Test (book) and make it part of your competency documentation process for new POCT operators.

Sincerely,
Alma
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the CHANCE to work hard at work worth doing” – Theodore Roosevelt

Alma Calzado-Knudson, MBA, CLS, MT (ASCPi & AMT)
Manager, Lab Quality and Point of Care Testing
Student Education Coordinator
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•530-332-7360 (Main Lab) l 530-332-7362 (Direct) l 254-722-5388 (Mobile) / [cid:image003.png@01DBF176.95CB86A0] 530-893-6809
• alma.calzadoknudson@enloe.org
“Together you and I will Each Accomplish More as we WORK towards achieving a common goal – Patient Safety and Satisfaction”

Our employee health no longer does color vision testing. I have started documenting it on the training documentation that the test performer was able to discriminate the correct colors as needed for the testing they are doing.

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