Since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, fewer people are going to the lab to have their blood drawn and tested. As a result, more and more patients are choosing to have their blood drawn at home. Many patients are delaying routine testing and medical treatment to avoid the spread of coronavirus. Some laboratories are reporting a decrease of up to 40% in the number of consultations and blood tests. Quest Diagnostics, for example, reported a significant drop in testing during the last two weeks of March.
These changes have prompted the healthcare industry to adopt new procedures and technologies. That allow patients to perform their own blood draws or self-tests at home in a safe manner. A growing number of healthcare providers are using telemedicine, a virtual form of care.
That allows for virtual interaction with patients during a coronavirus pandemic to reduce the burden of disease. An April 2021 survey of physicians found that as many as 85 percent of participants provided care to patients via phone and video. The survey also revealed that 77% of participating physicians supported the transition to telemedicine.
This desire to stay in touch with patients and clinical trial participants. Wle they are safely at home has increased. The demand for remote blood Sample collection center and testing. Some laboratories are joining the trend toward remote diagnostics. While others are slow to adopt methods for remote testing of blood samples.
However, with no indication that the pandemic will wane. Remote blood collection and testing may become the new norm. For those who are not yet convinced, these 5 advantages explain why remote blood collection is a popular option.
1. Access
With remote blood collection, patients who live far from urban centers do not have to travel to a medical facility to have their blood collected. Thanks to telemedicine technology, such as wireless heart monitors and remote control devices, doctors can monitor patients remotely and order blood tests on samples collected at the patient’s home. In addition, patients have more – not less – contact with their physicians via email and video chat platforms such as GoToMeeting, Zoom and others.
2. Comfort
This method improves the patient experience because it is easier to use than other self-collection devices and is less painful and stressful than venipuncture. Patients can take an accurate blood sample at home, minimizing the number of visits to the physician for follow-up testing, such as drug testing.
3. Convenience
Clinical trials will continue to be an important part of post-pandemic research. Remote sampling is a convenient way to collect samples from subjects who cannot visit the study site.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is currently using the Mitra micro-sampler and Mitra blood collection kit in the COVID-19 clinical trial, and participants call NIH to request a remote sampling kit that can be delivered to their home. Participants send their Blood test services in Lahore samples to NIH to be analyzed in the lab. NIH then uses these data for the SARS-CoV-2 study, specifically to determine the number of undetected COVID-19 cases in the U.S. population.
Safety
Remote blood collection improves safety for patients and medical staff. Patients do not need to come to the clinic to have their blood collected or tested. Instead, a collection kit is delivered to the patient for blood sampling. Patients mail their samples to the lab for testing in the appropriate envelope.
Patient-centered blood collection is increasingly replacing traditional blood collection. Some healthcare facilities still send phlebotomists to patients’ homes to provide mobile laboratory services when needed, but this practice poses some safety risks. companies such as Neoteryx offer simple home blood collection kits with Mitra micro-sampling devices to reduce the risk of exposure to patients and Laser Eye surgery healthcare professionals.
Feasibility
As patients avoid home blood collection and testing, many healthcare facilities, clinics and laboratories have been forced to convert staff to part-time work or hire part-time staff.