Do it Yourself: The Rise of Patient Self Testing in Medicine

Over the past several decades of innovation in medicine specifically and technology as a whole, opportunities have developed for patients in the United States to better educate themselves on their medical conditions. The internet has become an invaluable tool for the patient in developing a better understanding of their health in general. With access to thousands of articles on any single topic, the patient has taken on more of the responsiblilty of their long term care. While the validity of some of the information strung across the web has been debated, there is little doubt in the growing trend of patients taking new aspects of their health into their own hands.

As with glucose monitoring for diabetics in the 1990's, more and more medical conditions and their corresponding treatments are being directed towards the in home testing market. In 2008, for example, medicare expanded coverage for in home patient testing to monitor PT/INR levels for patients on blood thinning medications such as Warfarin.

Today, patients are turning their sofas into minature clinics and phoning in the data. Who would have thought twenty years ago that the patient would be calling the doctor with the lab results!

This new trend opens up a lively discussion between two worlds. The world of the Patient and the world of the Health Care Professional. The purpose of this blog is to facililtate that discussion and contribute over time with expert panels and reader feedback. It is a place where doctors, nurses, and patients can voice their opinions, ideas, and experiences in regards to this brave new world for medicine.  I look forward to your thoughts!

This week's question:
With 4 million people in the United States chronically on warfarin therapy for a variety of heart related conditions, could patient self testing of PT/INR levels liberate or hinder patient care?