Comparing Participant Experiences of at-Home and Hospital-Based Biological Sampling: Cross-Sectional Insights From the SIREN Study
Lut et al.
The finding, in our words
A UK survey of 2,816 healthcare workers found that 74% preferred at-home PCR testing and 52% preferred at-home serological sampling over hospital visits; some reported blood-collection or kit difficulties, and the authors conclude that home sampling is acceptable and workable for keeping participants in long-running studies.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
In a cohort of 62 participants evaluating home self-collection with the TassoPlus device, 38 returned samples, with 29% excluded due to insufficient plasma volume below 200 ΔL. Although viral load measurements in adequate samples correlated well with conventional testing (r = 0.800), the high failure rate and missed detection in low-volume viremic samples indicate that further technical refinements are necessary before clinical adoption.
In a feasibility randomised controlled trial with 28 adults aged 65 years, 62% successfully self-collected finger-prick capillary blood samples for influenza antibody and vitamin D measurement. While overall study procedures were acceptable, the capillary sampling method requires refinement before wider deployment in decentralised diagnostics for older adults.
Capillary blood self-collected with the VAMS device showed 100 per cent agreement with serum for detecting SARS-CoV-2 S RBD antibodies in participants with known past infection, and saliva showed slightly lower but high agreement; agreement was good to almost perfect in those without known antibodies, and most participants found finger prick easy while half found the microsampler easy, supporting decentralised serosurveillance.
Among 404 Australians at risk of hepatitis C, 91% of those with prior infection selected point-of-care RNA testing, citing rapid results, while 72% of those without prior infection preferred staff-assisted antibody testing. Offering rapid, staff-assisted testing improves uptake among people who inject drugs, those experiencing homelessness and those receiving opioid agonist therapy.
Among 133 users of HIV self-sampling and self-testing in the Netherlands, the commonest reason for choosing this route was saving time, followed by anonymity and avoiding a GP visit. However, 22% encountered problems, with seven in ten of those struggling to obtain enough blood from a finger prick, showing that while self-testing expands reach, blood collection remains a key usability hurdle for decentralised HIV screening.