At-home testing likely to stick around

Q: Since the pandemic, my doctor has had me do at-home testing regularly for cholesterol and once for Lyme disease.

Is it a good idea or should I insist on going into the office and having tests done there?

Fran D., Wheeling,

West Virginia

A: More and more doctors are using at-home tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration to check for everything from cholesterol and Lyme disease to allergies, colon cancer and even sleep apnea.

A recent National Poll of Healthy Aging found that about 80% of older adults were open to using at home testing and, overall, 32% of folks ages 50 to 80 have used an at home COVID-19 test; 17% have done at-home DNA screening, 6% have screened for cancer, 4% for an infection other than COVID-19, and 10% for some other kind of condition.

So, it looks like at-home testing is going to stick around, just like telehealth visits are used more and more since they were a pandemic necessity.

Some of these tests require you to send a blood sample to a lab; others, like those for blood glucose levels, pregnancy or blood pressure, give you immediate results. The FDA supports their appropriate use and says they can help “detect possible health conditions when you have no symptoms, so that you can get early treatment and lower your chance of developing later complications.”

However, none of them should be used for selfdiagnosis and self-treatment and the results should be shared with your doctor promptly.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen: One survey found that just 55% of folks who used an at-home test for infection shared the results with their primary care provider.

That’s hard to imagine — even if the results were negative.

That said, while they may be more and more available, if you aren’t comfortable using them, tell your doctor, and arrange for an office visit.

Remember it’s your body, your health, your choice. You are the customer!