remote specimen collection for vulnerable patient populations

Venipuncture is painful. It's frightening. When you're performing research with vulnerable patient populations, it can pose a significant impediment to recruiting and retaining study volunteers.

Traditional blood draws are particularly unpleasant for children. Pediatric patients can't fully understand what's going on. With elderly patients, the very ill, or those in low-resourced regions, other difficulties can arise, such as the inability to make long-distance visits to clinics for blood draws.

The most vulnerable patient populations - elderly patients, children, those in low-resourced regions, and others - tend to have the greatest difficulties with venipuncture.

Using less invasive, remote specimen collection approaches in these contexts can make things easier. However, older methods of dried capillary blood collection, such as dried blood spot (DBS) cards and filter paper, have limitations (most notably the hematocrit bias). These limitations impede the ability to get specimens that can generate high-quality data of the sort that is needed for research.

Enter Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling, as demonstrated by the Mitra device based on VAMS^® technology. VAMS^® is making remote specimen collection, including capillary blood collection, easier for vulnerable patient populations and much less intimidating.

Because anyone can use a Mitra^® device to collect their own samples with minimal training, VAMS^®  technology is changing how researchers work with vulnerable populations. Clinical research, clinical trials, and other crucial, lifesaving work has become easier as this smarter blood collection technology has begun to proliferate.

The researchers who work with the most vulnerable populations often lead the way in translating their work to patient-centered care. Already, Mitra^® devices have enabled research on blood biomarkers for malnutrition in Liberia. They've made life easier for pediatric transplant patients, their physicians, and their parents. It's no wonder that 93% of patients consider themselves "likely" or "very likely" to choose Mitra devices with VAMS^® over any other method of specimen collection.

It's time to make your work more patient-centered. Remote specimen collection is a game-changer. Neoteryx is the remote microsampling innovator. Read our white paper to learn more, or contact a Microsampling Specialist today to get started.