While certain at-home diagnostics have been popular for quite a while, tests that require blood sampling have been restricted to labs. Use of at-home blood testing in place of a clinic phlebotomy procedure (wherein a needle is used to take blood from a vein) is comparatively recent. The primary reasons for an increase in at-home blood testing are:
Dried blood spot (DBS) tests allow patients and users to submit samples to labs rather than undergo a phlebotomy procedure. At Ash Wellness, we provide hassle-free blood spot tests. Our comprehensive end-to-end telemedicine service takes care of everything from collection kits to lab coordination to platform support. We are able to offer our partners more at-home diagnostic options with dried blood spot tests.
How exactly does this kind of blood testing work? It is based on a type of bio sampling where blood samples are blotted and dried on a strip of paper. A lancet draws the samples from the heel, toe, or finger. Since these samples are dried, they can easily be shipped to a lab for analysis.
A paper on the Stability of Proteins in Dried Blood Spot Biobanks shows that the drying process doesn’t impact the protein levels, indicating that the samples are still high quality. The study suggests a couple of other benefits that DBS offers over traditional wet sampling. They include:
A study conducted by the Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital - Denmark, examined the specificity and sensitivity of DBS samples when testing for viral hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The results state:
The study shows that DBS, combined with an automated analysis system, is a viable and efficient blood sampling method for pathological tests/study.
Ash Wellness capitalizes on the efficiency of this sampling method by assisting health centers, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies with collecting, analyzing, and reporting on these samples. The complete process looks something like this:
The Ash Wellness end-to-end solution ensures that our partners can customize the services to their specific needs: either opting for the full integration or adding to an existing service.
Onboard at-home testing services in as little as three weeks with Ash Wellness.
Switch on at-home diagnostics today for your business or organization.
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