5 Reasons Why At-Home Diagnostics are the Future of Healthcare
1) Proactive Care
These days, consumers have an increased awareness about their wellness. Nowadays, we all want to be in control of our health and take action to improve it—or simply monitor it for any dangerous changes. One way to do that is by testing at home; self-testing kits have made it easy for individuals and families to test themselves regularly (and more effectively) than ever before. In fact, many Americans are doing just that, thanks in part to some new at-home diagnostic tools which provide a number of valuable benefits. For example: Telehealth: In addition to at-home tests, there's also a rise in telehealth solutions—services that connect patients with medical professionals via video call or online chat. This enables users to speak directly with doctors from their own homes. And since these services tend to be less expensive than going into a doctor’s office, they're especially beneficial for those living in rural areas who may not have access to healthcare otherwise. Data Collection: Another benefit of home diagnostic tests is that they help collect data on chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension so people can better manage them. This kind of information has previously been difficult to obtain because most traditional diagnostic methods require blood samples or other invasive procedures which are difficult for patients without support networks or proper insurance coverage. Data collection helps doctors make better treatment decisions, too, since they can analyze trends over time rather than relying on single-point measurements alone.
2) More Affordable Care
As medical testing gets faster and more affordable, you can expect health insurance costs to drop. Just like you no longer need a professional to send your letters via snail mail, many in vitro diagnostics will be unnecessary thanks to advances in home testing kits and smartphone apps. And because an at-home diagnostic tests blood instead of requiring an invasive procedure, patients will also save on health care costs associated with lab testing. The old adage prevention is better than cure still holds true today—and as healthcare becomes increasingly affordable, you'll have more incentive to maintain good health. After all, we're only human: If it's cheaper to stay healthy than it is to treat sickness, why wouldn't we?
While older generations might prefer visiting their primary physician for everything from sniffles to strep throat, younger generations tend to view doctors with suspicion, likely due to years of negative press. But whether or not you want full access to your doctor’s office hours (some people may prefer having their own doctor), visiting a trained practitioner for checkups every few months isn’t really an option anymore if you want complete medical knowledge about yourself. Additionally, even if older generations take advantage of modern technology when they find themselves sick or injured, surveys show that many don’t know what questions should be asked during checkups either! With convenient home testing kits, however, younger generations won’t have any excuse for not taking charge of their own healthcare.
3) Less Stigma
Perhaps one of healthcare’s biggest hurdles is stigma. The patient experience can be emotionally and physically draining—and often, your own doctor doesn’t want to tell you bad news. It takes a strong stomach to hear those words: You have cancer. But what if there was a blood test that could quickly diagnose cancer without all that human interaction? Some day there will be, and it'll eliminate much of today's psychological trauma that comes with most medical procedures. We'd still need actual doctors for surgery or in case things go wrong, but for diagnostic testing at home, we could revolutionize how people see their health data and overall treatment. Most importantly, at-home diagnostics would make many chronic diseases easier to manage over time because patients would know exactly when they needed help. Doctors wouldn't be as overwhelmed and more inclined to provide more preventative care rather than treating illnesses after they've become critical. A society where people understand their bodies better will lead to less stigma surrounding common ailments and faster detection of major problems before they spiral out of control. That might not seem like a big deal now, but if we can get rid of some psychosocial barriers while saving lives in the process, why wouldn't we do it?
4) Better Access to Doctors
Currently, most doctors aren’t equipped to handle testing equipment beyond a simple blood pressure monitor. In fact, very few in-home diagnostic kits have been cleared by regulatory agencies such as the FDA or Health Canada. This means that people who need to collect their own data often have to wait until they can see a specialist in person. With Covid-19, consumers can now perform tests themselves and access their test results whenever they want. And because it’s an over-the-counter kit, people won’t even need a prescription to order one from home – making healthcare more accessible than ever before.
Addressing health issues should be about getting fast, accurate information so that you can make smart decisions about your treatment. But with traditional care, you have to leave your home (and possibly disrupt your life) just for a basic screening. For patients with chronic conditions, like diabetes or heart disease, daily self-monitoring is critical – but if you live far away from specialists or if there simply aren’t any available appointments available locally at all (or on short notice), how do you get accurate information when you need it? Even if they could find time to schedule an appointment with a doctor, patients would still face long waits—and because physician visits tend to focus on current symptoms rather than past history, proper diagnosis might not happen right away anyway!
5) Personalized Medicine
A new way of thinking about at-home diagnostics is emerging. Companies such as Gensight BioSciences, a French company developing advanced bioelectronic medicines for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, are combining recent breakthroughs in nanotechnology and DNA sequencing with cutting edge algorithms to develop at-home diagnostic kits. Soon, we might have a diagnostic kit on hand that can detect genetic abnormalities that predispose individuals to specific types of cancer. The development of personalized medicine will be key in fighting against pandemics because it provides real insight into why people become sick and what they can do to keep from getting sick in the future. The type of data generated by these home kits could greatly reduce healthcare costs across the globe, too. Imagine being able to send your blood samples to a lab without having to go through insurance companies and paying exorbitant fees. As more research dollars pour into better at-home testing technology, scientists will be able to more quickly track infectious disease outbreaks and improve our understanding of how different populations respond differently to treatments. In other words, soon you may no longer need your doctor's permission or insurance company's blessing before knowing exactly what's going on inside your body. That's exciting news!
