As the Internet empowers consumers to take charge of their health and their environment, the burden of knowledge and responsibility has also shifted from doctors and legislators to the individual. There is a tremendous variety of diagnostic tests that can be purchased online and used in the privacy of one's own home. This puts very powerful tool in the hands of the consumer. But, as they saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility."
There are many different types of home testing kits on the market, but they fall broadly into two categories: medical and non-medical.
In the medical category, there are standard diagnostic tests for diabetes, high cholesterol, pregnancy, hormone levels, fertility and paternity. There are also tests for specific diseases such as STD's (sexually transmitted diseases) including HIV test kits.
Non-medical tests are usually for environmental factors such as water testing, mold, radon, pesticides and other contaminants.
Before you buy one of these tests, you need to ask yourself some important questions.
1. Why do I need this test? In the case of medical tests, privacy is often a major concern. Many of these tests are for conditions that are socially sensitive in nature. STD and paternity tests fall into this category. In other cases, you may not have the medical insurance to cover the kind of testing you need to track your medical condition. Cholesterol and blood sugar testing for example. So if privacy or lack of access are your primary concerns, online home testing kits may be a good solution for you. However, if you are simply curious, or concerned that you might have a serious health condition, I urge you to please see your doctor first.
2. Do I have the skills to follow the test instructions correctly? This is a tricky one to answer unless you have the test kit in front of you, but here are some guidelines. I call it the Ikea test. Are you the kind of person who follows detailed instructions well? If not, home testing may not be for you. If you don't do the tests exactly right, you might contaminate the sample and get a false positive or a false negative result. Either way, you will have wasted your money, leaving you falsely reassured, or worried for no reason. Take away? If all your Ikea projects all have parts left over, forget about home testing. Leave it to the professionals.
3. What are the ethical implications of this test? Another potential minefield here, but one you need to think about. Some of the most popular home test kits on the market are for illegal or illicit drug testing. You can now buy home drug tests for marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroin and other opiates. There are even tests for legal substances such as alcohol, nicotine (tobacco) and caffeine.
The ethical concern arises because if you are taking any of these drugs, you don't need a test to confirm it. So that leaves two possibilities. One: you want to test someone else such as a son, daughter, or spouse. Or two: you want to test yourself so you can pass a drug screen by your employer, school or other agency.
With the first, you obviously have a right to protect your children from the harm of illegal drugs. However, many of these tests have an invasive quality that may make it difficult to collect the sample from an unwilling participant. The most accurate form of drug testing is hair analysis but you need a sample of hair taken from near the skin. Other tests use urine or saliva sampling. There are spray tests that can indicate the presence of a drug but the link to actual usage is obviously weaker.
In the second case, you have to ask yourself if maybe it's time to seek additional counseling for substance abuse. If you're risking your employment or academic future to get high, that's a pretty steep price to pay - on top of the cost of the tests themselves. But if you're concerned that second hand smoke might show up on the drug screen, these inexpensive tests may be worth the price for peace of mind. Just don't inhale!
4. Do some tests have legal implications? Good question. In our litigious society, where lawyers line up like scalpers at a U2 concert to sue anyone for anything, some diagnostic tests could be seen as an infringement of rights. Some of the drug testing kits come to mind. However, paternity tests in particular need to be of the legally approved variety to be admitted into evidence. You need to make sure you choose the right paternity test or things will go wrong. Going cheap will cost you more than just your day in court.
5. How accurate are these tests? Accuracy depends on two factors: the accuracy of the test itself, and care taken by the person doing the test (see Question #2). Many of the home test kits on the market have inherent accuracy levels of greater than 99% if done properly. This is as good as most lab results. With human error the most common reason for inaccuracy, be sure to choose FDA approved tests that have been rated as easy to use for most consumers.
Summary: Home testing kits for either medical or non-medical tests can be a viable and inexpensive alternative to no testing at all. However, if you have the option of getting a professional to do the testing for you, especially for medical concerns, do that first. In cases where privacy is a major concern, home testing provides an excellent choice for the empowered consumer. Used carefully, with concern for proper procedure, these tests can provide peace of mind, or act as the basis for further testing. Always remember though, that no test is completely accurate. Multiple tests may be needed to confirm any result.
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