Anyone interested in the biggest questions around human health and wellbeing – how we live, how we care for each other, and how these systems can be improved – should be acutely aware of new progress in patient monitoring, particularly remote patient monitoring (RPM). Healthcare is becoming increasingly decentralized, enabling telehealth for more democratized access to care.
Thanks to advances in technology, it is now possible to get a tremendous amount of information from a very small biological specimen. Collecting specimens in the precise volumes needed for bioanalysis is now possible at a reasonable cost and with easy convenience.
With microsampling, it is less important for patients to visit clinics to receive optimum care. In many cases, they can receive care in the comfort of their homes, offices or elsewhere.
This is made possible through telehealth communications (online portals, digital chat, video conference call, email) with care providers, which is paired with remote blood sample collection by anyone, anywhere.
Health providers can ship blood sample collection kits to their patients or study cohorts for sample collection on the go.
There are clinical labs and toxicology labs that can now process dried blood microsamples. After the lab receives and process the samples, the care provider can consult with patients through Zoom or another video conferencing program.
Thus, remote microsampling helps enable continuous medical monitoring without the inconvenience of frequent in-person appointments. It allows healthcare professionals to get more information at more appropriate times, for more useful insights, without unreasonable costs or additional burden on patients' bandwidth.
Much success in microsampling has already been achieved in the realms of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), toxicology, clinical trials, infectious disease studies, and other areas.
Microsampling improves patient comfort and convenience. What’s more, money is saved on transportation, clinic visits, and other costs associated with onsite doctor or clinical trials visits traditional methods. Switching to a microsampling workflow for patient monitoring can save considerable sums of money over time.
Remote microsampling is poised to enable further innovations in areas such as:
If you’re invested in the growth and development of patient monitoring, now is the best time to explore microsampling. More information about remote microsampling for TDM can be found via our Microsampling for Drug Monitoring page.