The new normal: At-home blood collection: how it works
Telehealth has been around for a while, but it really took off in early 2020 when COVID-19 reached its peak. Along with this rise, more people grew interested in at-home blood collection equipment and kits, which allow patients to take their own blood and ship it straight to a blood laboratory for medical testing and blood test analysis.
Today, we’ll look at the advantages of at-home blood collection and why this new normal is here to stay.
Increased accessibility
Patients who live outside of central areas can get their blood drawn without having to visit to a health facility. Physicians can conduct remote patient monitoring and request blood tests based on patient-collected samples using telehealth technology like wireless cardiac monitors and remote devices. Patients also have greater – not less – access to their physicians through email and video chat services such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, and others.
Additionally, traveling to diagnostic centers for a blood test can be difficult for most elderly or disabled patients, since they become fatigued fast and may have other health issues that prevent them from walking or traveling. Blood testing at home are a highly handy alternative for such patients because they do not have to travel.
It is more comfortable
Most at-home blood collection kits use a volumetric absorptive microsampling technology that collects tiny, volumetrically accurate blood samples on the device’s absorbent tip. Because it is easier to use than other self-sampling devices and less unpleasant and stressful than venipuncture blood draws, the technique enhances the patient experience. Patients may take exact blood samples at home, reducing the number of visits required for healthcare follow-ups such therapeutic medication monitoring.
Accords you convenience
Clinical trials will continue to be an important element of research even after the pandemic has passed. Remote sampling is a handy technique to gather samples from trial participants who are unable to come to the trial center.
In fact, for COVID-19 clinical studies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is presently employing the Blood Collection Kits. Participants can get a remote sample kit from the NIH and have it delivered to their house. Participants return their blood samples to the National Institutes of Health for examination in the lab. The data is then used by the NIH for SARS-CoV-2 investigations, in particular, to assess the number of COVID-19 cases that have gone undiagnosed in the US community.
The bottom-line
With accessibility, comfort, and convenience, at-home blood collection is a popular option for many that will continue to be the new normal in the future.