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University of Michigan National Study Finds Nearly Half of Seniors Surveyed Purchased At-Home Medical Tests and Most Plan to Buy More

Clinical laboratory executives and pathology leaders may want to develop strategies for supporting the growing numbers of at-home screening and diagnostic test users

Findings of a national poll conducted by the University of Michigan (U-M) exploring consumers’ purchases suggests seniors are becoming more comfortable with ordering and using at-home medical testing. Their choice of tests and opinions may be of interest to clinical laboratory executives, pathologists, and primary care physicians considering programs to support self-test purchasers.

Conducted through U-M’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, the National Poll on Healthy Aging study involved 2,163 adults over age 50, who responded to questions online or by phone in January 2022.

The researchers found that 48% of adults, ages 50 to 80, purchased at least one at-home medical test, and that 91% of the buyers indicated intentions to purchase another test in the future, according to a U-M news release.

The researchers published their study, “Use of At-Home Medical Tests among Older US Adults: A Nationally Representative Survey,” in The Journal of Health Care.

In their paper, they note that “validity, reliability, and utility of at-home tests is often uncertain.” Further, understanding and responding to test results—especially since caregivers may not have ordered them—could lead to “a range of unintended consequences,” they wrote.

“As a primary care doctor, I would want to know why my patient chose to take an at-home test that I didn’t order for them. We also need to understand in greater detail why folks use at-home tests instead of traditional means, beyond convenience,” said the U-M study’s lead author Joshua Rager, MD, a research scientist at William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research at Regenstrief Institute, who is now an assistant professor of medicine, Indiana University, in a news release. The findings of the U-M study will be of interest to clinical laboratory executives and pathology leaders. (Photo copyright: Regenstrief Institute.)

Free COVID-19 Tests Ignite At-Home Testing

In their Journal of Health Care paper, the U-M researchers speculate that curiosity in at-home testing may have been propelled by the offer of free COVID-19 tests by the US government starting in 2021 during the pandemic.

They also noted the different ways at-home test kits are performed by healthcare consumers. Some, such as COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, return results to users in a few moments similar to pregnancy tests. Others involve self-collecting specimens, such as a stool sample, then sending the specimen to a clinical laboratory for analysis and results reporting to physicians.

Abbott’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card (SARS-CoV-2 test) and Exact Sciences’ Cologuard (colorectal cancer screening test) are examples of two different styles of testing.

Of those older adults who participated in U-M’s National Poll on Healthy Aging study, the following bought at-home medical tests online or from pharmacies and supermarkets, according to U-M’s paper:

Opinions, Sharing of At-Home Test Results Vary

As to perceptions of at-home medical testing by users, when polled on their test experience, the surveyed seniors reported the following:

  • 75.1% perceived at-home medical tests to be more convenient than conventional medical tests.
  • 59.9% believe the tests “can be trusted to give reliable results.”
  • 54.8% believe the tests “are regulated by government.”
  • 66% called them a “good value.”
  • 93.6% indicated results “should be discussed with my doctor.”

Inconsistency in how people shared test results with their healthcare providers was a concern voiced by the researchers.

“While nearly all patients who had bought an at-home cancer screening test shared the results with their primary care provider, only about half of those who tested for an infection other than COVID-19 had. This could have important clinical implications,” the researchers wrote in their paper.

Confusion over Government Regulation

The U-M study also revealed consumer misunderstanding about government regulation of at-home clinical laboratory tests purchased over-the-counter.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared “some diagnostic at-home tests for over-the counter use. But many tests on the market are unregulated or under-regulated,” the authors wrote, adding, “Our results suggest, however, that patients generally believe at-home tests are regulated by government, but a substantial minority did not, which may reflect public confusion in how at-home testing is regulated.”

Women, College-Educated Buy More At-Home Tests

Purchase of at-home tests varies among groups, as follows, the news release noted:

  • 56% and 61% of older adults with a college degree or household income above $100,000, respectively, were “much more likely” to buy at-home tests than people in other income and education brackets.
  • 87% of women would buy at-home tests again compared with 76% of men.
  • 89% of college-educated people would purchase the tests again, compared with 78% of people with high school educations or less.

Future U-M research may explore consumers’ awareness/understanding concerning federal regulations of at-home testing, Rager noted.

“At-home tests could be used to address disparities in access to care. We hope these findings will inform regulators and policymakers and spark future research on this topic,” he said in the news release.

The U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation survey results confirm that the country’s senior generations are becoming comfortable with at-home and self-testing options. As Dark Daily has previously suggested, clinical laboratories may want to develop service offerings and a strategy for supporting patients who want to perform their own lab tests at home.

—Donna Marie Pocius

Related Information:

Big Gaps Seen in Home Medical Test Use by Older Adults

Use of At-Home Medical Tests among Older US Adults: A Nationally Representative Survey

Regenstrief Institute Finds Fecal Immunochemical Test May Be as Effective as Colonoscopy at Detecting Colorectal Cancers

Doctors may begin ordering FITs in greater numbers, increasing the demand on clinical laboratories to process these home tests

All clinical laboratory managers and pathologists know that timely screening for colon cancer is an effective way to detect cancer early, when it is easiest to treat. But, invasive diagnostic approaches such as colonoscopies are not popular with consumers. Now comes news of a large-scale study that indicates the non-invasive fecal immunochemical test (FIT) can be as effective as a colonoscopy when screening for colon cancer.

FITs performed annually may be as effective as colonoscopies at detecting colorectal cancer (CRC) for those at average risk of developing the disease. That’s the conclusion of a study conducted at the Regenstrief Institute, a private, non-profit research organization affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Ind.

The researchers published their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine (AIM), a journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The team reviewed data from 31 previous studies. They then analyzed the test results from more than 120,000 average-risk patients who took a FIT and then had a colonoscopy. After comparing the results between the two tests, the researchers concluded that the FIT is a sufficient screening tool for colon cancer.

FIT is Easy, Safe, and Inexpensive

As a medical laboratory test, the FIT is low risk, non-invasive, and inexpensive. In addition, the FIT can detect most cancers in the first application, according to the Regenstrief Institute researchers. They recommend that the FIT be performed on an annual basis for people at average risk for getting colorectal cancers.

“This non-invasive test for colon cancer screening is available for average risk people,” Imperiale told NBC News. “They should discuss with their providers whether it is appropriate for them.”

FIT is performed in the privacy of the patient’s home. To use the test, an individual collects a bowel specimen in a receptacle provided in a FIT kit. They then send the specimen to a clinical laboratory for evaluation. The FIT requires no special preparations and medicines and food do not interfere with the test results.

Thomas Imperiale, MD (above), is a Lawrence Lumeng Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Indiana University School of Medicine, and a research scientist at the Regenstrief Institute. He led a study which concluded that FITs are as effective as colonoscopies at detecting cancer in average risk patient populations. Should these conclusions become widely accepted, doctors may begin ordering FITs in greater numbers, increasing the demand on clinical laboratories that process the tests. (Photo copyright: Indiana University School of Medicine.)

‘A Preventative Health Success Story’

The FIT can be calibrated to different sensitivities at the lab when determining results. Imperiale and his team found that 95% of cancers were detected when the FIT was set to a higher sensitivity, however, that setting resulted in 10% false positives. At lower sensitivity the FIT produced fewer false positives (5%), but also caught fewer cancers (75%). However, when the FIT was performed every year, the cancer detection rate was similar at both sensitivities over a two-year period.

“FIT is an excellent option for colon cancer screening only if it is performed consistently on a yearly basis,” Felice Schnoll-Sussman, MD, told NBC News. Sussman is a gastroenterologist and Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. “Colon cancer screening and its impact on decreasing rates of colon cancer is a preventative health success story, although we have a way to go to increase rates to our previous desired goal of 80% screened in the US by 2018.”

The FIT looks for hidden blood in the stool by detecting protein hemoglobin found in red blood cells. A normal result indicates that FIT did not detect any blood in the stool and the test should be repeated annually. If the FIT comes back positive for blood in the stool, other tests, such as a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy should be performed. Cancers in the colon may not always bleed and the FIT only detects blood from the lower intestines.

Patients are Skipping the Colonoscopy

Approximately 35% of individuals who should be receiving colonoscopies do not undergo the test, NBC News noted. The American Cancer Society (ACS) lists the top five reasons people don’t get screened for colorectal cancer are that they:

  • fear the test will be difficult or painful;
  • have no family history of the disease and feel testing is unnecessary;
  • have no symptoms and think screening is only for those with symptoms;
  • are concerned about the costs associated with screening; and
  • they are concerned about the complexities of taking the tests, including taking time off from work, transportation after the procedure, and high out-of-pocket expenses.

“Colorectal cancer screening is one of the best opportunities to prevent cancer or diagnose it early, when it’s most treatable,” Richard Wender, MD, Chief Cancer Control Officer for the ACS stated in a press release. “Despite this compelling reason to be screened, many people either have never had a colorectal cancer screening test or are not up to date with screening.”

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. The ACS estimates there will be 101,420 new cases of colon cancer and 44,180 new cases of rectal cancer diagnosed this year. The disease is expected to be responsible for approximately 51,020 deaths in 2019.

New cases of the disease have been steadily decreasing over the past few decades in most age populations, primarily due to early screening. However, the overall death rate among people younger than age 55 has increased 1% per year between 2007 and 2016. The ACS estimates there are now more than one million colorectal cancer survivors living in the US.

The ACS recommends that average-risk individuals start regular colorectal cancer screenings at age 45. The five-year survival rate for colon cancer patients is 90% when there is no sign that the cancer has spread outside the colon.

Clinical laboratory professionals may find it unpleasant to test FIT specimens. Opening the specimen containers and extracting the samples can be messy and malodorous. However, FITs are essential, critical tests that can save many lives.

—JP Schlingman

Related Information:

Annual Stool Test May Be as Effective as Colonoscopy, Study Finds

Top Five Reasons People Don’t Get Screened for Colorectal Cancer

About Colorectal Cancer

Performance Characteristics of Fecal Immunochemical Tests for Colorectal Cancer and Advanced Adenomatous Polyps: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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