Using a fingerstick test for haematological monitoring in patients treated with clozapine.

Results from the capillary blood HemoCue WBC DIFF analyser compared well with the venous blood ADVIA 2120i analyser for determining WBC and neutrophil counts. There was a slight overall bias, with the capillary method reporting lower values for both measures. Fingerstick point-of-care analysis is suitable for monitoring blood counts in patients on clozapine, although confirmatory standard venous testing is recommended for test results falling below accepted thresholds.