Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The rise of at-home medical tests: Can the hype meet our health care needs?

Aneesha Dhargalkar, MD and Deanna Lernihan, MPH
Physician
August 17, 2024
Share
Tweet
Share

Recent news feeds are packed with consumer tips for navigating the abundance of at-home medical tests. Within the past month, Healthline, Fortune, Self Magazine, and the New York Times, to name a few, have published articles on “best of” medical tests for a range of health conditions, from herpes and HIV to COVID-19 and thyroid function.

At-home medical tests are a booming market, expected to reach $9.5 billion by 2031. It’s no surprise given their accessibility (available online or at local shopping centers), relatively low cost, and quick results. There is an impressive selection of well-established and start-up companies offering a vast array of tests for heart health, thyroid function, colorectal cancer, and chronic kidney disease, to name a few. What’s more, the tests are portable. We can use them where we’re at with as much privacy as we choose.

Health consumers can now take charge of their health without waiting for signs of illness or an opening in their physician’s schedule, allowing for early disease detection and better overall health outcomes.

Over half of the U.S. population copes with at least one chronic disease. At-home medical tests can provide substantial insight into these illnesses and support ongoing care. Many chronic diseases require regular laboratory tests. According to the CDC, 70% of medical decisions depend on these test outcomes. By putting tests in the hands of patients, frequent trips to testing sites can be eliminated, which is a necessary and long overdue support for vulnerable populations, such as rural communities that are medically underserved, older adults, people with disabilities, and barriers related to systemic racism.

Even in areas with better health coverage, Americans experience long waits for care. According to a 2022 AMN Healthcare Survey, the average wait time for a new patient appointment is 26 days. Appointment waits for cardiology and OB/GYN are longer, at 26.6 days and 31.4 days, respectively. Testing from home keeps health treatment plans on track while closing gaps in barriers to care.

However, despite their numerous advantages, popularity, and marketing hype, at-home medical tests are far from the easy fix we all would like.

One of the most critical issues with at-home medical tests is that a unified set of standards and protocols does not exist. This lack of regulation has resulted in the development of non-validated and unscientific testing methods that do not accurately provide information about the health condition in question.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) generally does not review wellness tests for biomarkers such as hormone levels and allergy-related antibodies for food sensitivities. A quick search of the FDA medical device database confirms this. Many popular at-home medical tests are not FDA-approved, leading to inaccurate and unreliable results that can skew patients’ health care decisions.

For example, some at-home testing brands claim to determine tolerance and sensitivity levels for over 640 food items by analyzing just a couple of hair strands. However, no scientific study has validated hair testing as an accurate method for determining food sensitivity and allergies. Ultimately, such tests put health consumers at risk of false results and unnecessary or misguided dietary changes.

Another major disadvantage of at-home medical tests is the need for more clinician support and guidance regarding health care decisions related to test results. Many testing companies lack the adequate clinical support required to analyze and interpret test results. This often leads to inappropriate and possibly even dangerous health decisions related to a single data point. Clinician guidance is necessary so that lab testing can be viewed as part of an individual’s whole health picture.

FDA recommendations on at-home tests strongly encourage regularly consulting with health care providers regarding lab test interpretation. Other reputable sources, such as Medline and Healthline, offer similar advice. However, the 2022 University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging revealed that only half of all respondents 50 to 80 years old who purchased an at-home health test other than COVID-19 had shared test results with their health care providers. Such an omission is a missed opportunity for patients to discuss health concerns and next steps with their health care team. Better education of health consumers is needed to encourage data sharing and improve health outcomes.

The bottom line is that at-home medical tests are here to stay. Many Americans purchase these tests and use their results to make personal health care decisions. These tests can potentially provide valuable information to the health consumer while closing the gap in health care access. Still, improvements must be made with this relatively new process, specifically regarding regulation and clinician oversight, before it becomes a successful mainstay of the health care landscape.

Aneesha Dhargalkar is an emergency medicine physician. Deanna Lernihan is a public health professional.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

The surprising secret to success in medical school

August 17, 2024 Kevin 0
…
Next

A doctor's eye-opening journey as a patient

August 17, 2024 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The surprising secret to success in medical school
Next Post >
A doctor's eye-opening journey as a patient

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Expanding health care access and equity through telehealth

    Gjanje L. Smith, MD, MPH, Wanneh A. Dixon, and Maria Phillips, JD
  • Health care workers should not be targets

    Lori E. Johnson
  • How value-based care can address health inequities

    Michael Poku, MD, MBA
  • “System-ness”: the key to successful health care transformation

    Robert Pearl, MD
  • High-deductible health plans: a barrier to care for chronic conditions

    Shirin Hund, MD
  • Why the health care industry must prioritize health equity

    George T. Mathew, MD, MBA

More in Physician

  • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • The gift we keep giving: How medicine demands everything—even our holidays

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • From burnout to balance: a neurosurgeon’s bold career redesign

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why working in Hawai’i health care isn’t all paradise

    Clayton Foster, MD
  • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

    Patrick Hudson, MD
  • Why compassion—not credentials—defines great doctors

    Dr. Saad S. Alshohaib
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • Why public health must be included in AI development

      Laura E. Scudiere, RN, MPH | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • Residency match tips: Building mentorship, research, and community

      Simran Kaur, MD and Eva Shelton, MD | Education
    • From Founding Fathers to modern battles: physician activism in a politicized era [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • Why public health must be included in AI development

      Laura E. Scudiere, RN, MPH | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • Residency match tips: Building mentorship, research, and community

      Simran Kaur, MD and Eva Shelton, MD | Education
    • From Founding Fathers to modern battles: physician activism in a politicized era [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...