"Your Finger or Mine?"-Patient Preferences in the Collection of Fecal Occult Blood Testing in the Emergency Department

This pilot study found that mailing self-collection kits to endometrial cancer survivors was feasible and acceptable, whilst also observing that chemotherapy or radiation reduced beneficial vaginal bacteria compared to surgery alone.

Stool and vaginal microbiome profiles patterns among Black and White endometrial cancer survivors: A pilot study in North Carolina — Jin et al., PloS one · source ↗

• stool
• self-collection
• acceptability
• microbiome

In a one-week virtual home clinic with 134 participants, 86 per cent returned saliva and 84 per cent returned stool, and most components were feasible and acceptable despite device and logistical challenges. This supports decentralised, patient-centric self-collection of non-blood biospecimens for research.

Collecting at-Home Biometric Measures for Longitudinal Research From the i3C: Feasibility and Acceptability Study — Russell et al., JMIR human factors · source ↗

• dct
• acceptability
• self-collection
• microbiome
• stool
• saliva
• genotyping

In a cross-sectional study of 90 adolescents, 94 per cent provided at least one salivary sample and 89 per cent supplied a stool sample, with high adherence to study instructions, indicating that self-collection of these biospecimens is feasible and acceptable in this age group.

Engaging adolescents in research: Home self-collection of biological samples and health questionnaires — Leung et al., Research in nursing & health (paywalled) · source ↗

• acceptability
• self-collection
• microbiome
• pediatric
• stool
• saliva

Non-invasive self-sampling of anal colorectal mucus following defecation provides a patient-acceptable alternative to traditional stool collection for diagnosing colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. This emerging approach allows reliable measurement of diagnostic biomarkers to improve screening compliance.

Emerging role of colorectal mucus in gastroenterology diagnostics — Nooredinvand & Poullis, World journal of gastroenterology · source ↗

• acceptability
• self-collection
• colorectal
• stool
• biomarkers

A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to raise colorectal cancer screening participation, including mailed outreach of home collection kits.

Evaluation of Interventions Intended to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis — Dougherty et al., JAMA Internal Medicine (paywalled) · source ↗

• acceptability
• self-collection
• colorectal
• stool
• fit