2021 · Open forum infectious diseases · open access
Feasibility of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing in Remote Outpatient Trials
Lofgren et al.
The finding, in our words
Remote SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing using self-collected dried blood spots proved feasible in decentralised trials, with 56% of consenting participants returning usable samples and 95% successfully completing self-collection despite pandemic logistical challenges. The agglutination-PCR method showed 83% concordance with ELISA, but mail delays and sample degradation complicated analysis and reduced data quality.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
In a pilot mixed-methods study of youth with HIV, mailed HemaSpot-HF kits enabled home-based dried blood spot collection that participants found feasible and acceptable, supporting remote viral load monitoring and a self-management model for decentralised care.
Gurung et al., AIDS and behavior (paywalled) · source ↗
This narrative review surveys remote biospecimen collection products for sexual health research, including dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling, and concludes that successful implementation needs a multidisciplinary, participant-centred team with sufficient time allocated to the complexities of collection procedures and processes.
Horvath et al., AIDS and behavior (paywalled) · source ↗
This pilot study found that while initial household enrolment was low at 9%, remote follow-up was highly feasible, with 88% of respondents, 151 of 172, successfully returning self-collected capillary blood samples after 12 months. This shows that decentralised microsampling is viable for household cohorts when face-to-face contact is restricted.
A study of older rural US patients found that 96 to 98 per cent of self-collected dried blood spot specimens were successfully analysed for HIV viral load, with high acceptability. However, concordance between self-reported and measured viral load was only 69 to 82 per cent, highlighting the value of objective decentralised microsampling over self-reporting.
Walsh et al., AIDS and behavior (paywalled) · source ↗
A statewide remote seroprevalence study using at-home dried blood spot kits achieved a 71.6% sample return rate from registered households, with success dependent on integrated data systems, responsive participant support, and strong health department partnerships. This demonstrates feasibility of large-scale decentralised microsampling for public health surveillance.
Lim et al., BMC medical research methodology · source ↗