From midlife onwards, most of us have mild concerns about our health – but with many GP surgeries still in chaos, is it time we quit the 8am appointment lottery, and instead, turned to affordable home health checks? Tesco certainly think so.
This month, the supermarket giant has announced they’ll be stocking home testing kits for a wide range of conditions, from Vitamin D deficiency to bowel cancer.
In the wake of widespread Covid testing, the home health check market is now growing fast. If you want a general health overview, and don’t want to wait for an appointment, here’s what you can – and can’t - test at home.
Bowel cancer
Worth doing a home test?
Maybe
How?
A colon blood test kit, using a small stool sample that is mixed with a solution then tested (eg, the One Step Bowel Cancer Faecal Occult Blood (FOB), £12.95, rapidflowflextest.co.uk)
These tests are now widely available – and due to be sold at Tesco. They work by assessing whether there’s blood in your faeces which might indicate a problem, particularly in conjunction with other symptoms such as loss of appetite or a change in lavatory habits. Results are available in ten minutes, and if blood is indicated, it’s important to make a follow-up GP appointment.
However, warns GP Rachel Ward, “though there has been huge progress with patient testing kits over the last decade, it is important to understand that the result of any test only gives us part of the picture. The skill is in interpreting the results in the context of other clinical factors. Home tests can encourage people to take more interest in their health, but my concern would be that they could be falsely reassured by a result.”
Dr Ward also points out that ‘borderline’ test results will be taken to the GP, adding to their workload – so it’s wise to raise your concerns first. “Choosing when a test is needed is also a skill,” adds Dr Ward. Free bowel cancer home-testing kits are also available on the NHS to everyone aged 60 to 74 years.
Blood pressure
Worth doing a home test?
Yes
How?
Using a blood pressure monitor such as Omron, strap the cuff to your arm, start the machine and read the results on the screen (eg omron-healthcare.co.uk, from £54.99).
“I highly recommend doing your own home blood pressure monitoring, as this is the best way to get accurate results,” says Birmingham-based GP Dr Thuva Amuthan. “When you’re in a healthcare setting you’re more at risk of ‘White coat syndrome’, where due to anxiety, your BP reads higher than it actually is.”
Home tests, however, require understanding, says Professor Denis Kinane, Founding Scientist at diagnostic testing provider Cignpost.
“In a recent study, 64% of respondents expressed confidence in their understanding of blood pressure numbers – but only 39% actually knew what normal blood pressure should be (around 120/80). This can lead to conditions being caught late,” he warns. If you test at home, choose a machine that has been validated for accuracy by the British and Irish Hypertension Society (BIHS) or The British Heart Foundation.
Cholesterol
Worth doing a home test?
Maybe
How?
Finger prick test to collect a blood sample (eg Full Cholesterol Test, monitormyhealth.org.uk, £29).
A finger prick blood sample can be difficult to do correctly – one study published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology found that test results on finger-bled droplets had nearly eight times more variation than blood samples taken from veins.
Home tests can now check levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, or HDL (High-density Lipoproteins), and ‘bad’ cholesterol - low HDL and high levels of triglycerides. However, not obtaining enough blood could mean a false reading, says Professor Kinane. “If you've never taken a blood sample with a finger prick test, your first attempt will be challenging and this could affect your results.”
For a more definitive result, services such as Medichecks will either send out a nurse or perform the test at a clinic, then upload results and doctor’s advice to a personal online platform – a cholesterol test starts at £39 and offers results within two days, with a nurse visit an extra £59. The doctor-led service Human People provides an alternative easy-to-use at-home blood collection service, which includes a cholesterol test.
Hormones
Worth doing a home test?
Maybe
How?
Finger prick or urine test, which you send back to lab, followed by a two-day wait for results (eg hormone tests, welcome.numan.com/ from £89).
It’s possible to get a general overview from home testing, says Professor Kinane, “Typically, either via a urine sample or a blood sample. Provided the company offering the service sends their samples to a UKAS certified lab, these are as accurate as those carried out by a doctor.”
But any female hormone level tests, says Dr Amuthan, “can vary depending on the time in your [menstrual] cycle and other factors. They can be tricky to interpret and will almost always need to be repeated by your doctor using a more reliable vein sample.”
However, other private companies do offer vein testing, such as optimale.co.uk, who will send a nurse or arrange a clinic visit.
Biomarkers
Worth doing a home test?
Maybe
How?
Finger prick test, post to lab, report online (eg Thriva app, from £30)
Biomarker tests assess electrolytes such as creatine and sodium and reveal how well your organs such as liver and kidneys are functioning, plus highlighting potential health conditions, which “can be very helpful in diagnosing medical conditions and picking them up early,” says Dr Amuthan. “Unfortunately, all the research is based on vein samples, so the blood spot home tests may not be as accurate and will need to be repeated by a GP before treatment is prescribed.”
Again, it’s possible but pricier to have a home nurse visit to perform the tests. However, if you’re simply interested from a health perspective, and want to get an overview of your general health, they won’t do any harm – as long as you don’t make major health decisions based on home results.
Blood sugar
Worth doing a home test?
Yes
How?
Finger prick test, testing strips and monitor (eg Accu-check, from £29.99, Boots).
“Measuring blood sugars is one of the tests that is most reliably done at home,” says Professor Kinane, “You can purchase monitors that have upwards of 95% accuracy. Of course, if you find levels are spiking and dropping dramatically, speak to a doctor.”
Dr Amuthan agrees: “The machine used is pretty easy to operate at home,” he says. “There are criteria which will tell you whether you are OK, need further tests or are likely to be diabetic.” If so, he goes on, “you may then need another venous blood test from your doctor to confirm this.”
Allergies
Worth doing a home test?
No
Though kits are available for home use, “allergy tests can very often give false positives,” says Dr Amuthan. “That’s why the NHS reserves them for only specific, challenging cases, and they need to be interpreted by a specialist.” The NHS will not do a general test, but will test for potential suspected triggers such as food, pets or chemicals, “to avoid confusion with false positives.” If you suspect you have an allergy, keep a record of possible triggers and see your GP to discuss testing.
Vitamin D
Worth doing a home test?
Only if you use a doctor-led service
“For those feeling frequently tired and weak, we always recommend getting tested, but for this one, it needs a professional to read the results," explains Professor Kinane. “If it’s severely low you may need a high-dose treatment, which requires a prescription. You’ll then need maintenance supplements from the pharmacy.”
If you're struggling to get a GP appointment and want a home test, pick a company run by doctors, such as Humanpeople.co, which can talk you through your results and prescribe higher dose vitamin D if needed.
If in doubt, always talk to your GP or pharmacist.
