August 14, 2020

Usability and Acceptability of Home-Based Self-Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies for Population Surveillance

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

• A nationally-representative survey of adults in England assessed acceptability of two SARS-CoV-2 antibody home self-tests (n=10,600 and n=3,800), including pilot testing in 315 volunteers to optimize usability. Pilot testing revealed high levels of acceptability but limitations to usability, particularly use of included materials, clarity of instructions, and guidance on result interpretation. In the main study, over 97% of participants completed their assigned tests, reporting improvements in clarity of instructions but remaining difficulties in use of the test kits. Over 90% obtained a valid result, and there was substantial concordance between participant and clinician-interpreted results.  

Atchison et al. (Aug 2020). Usability and Acceptability of Home-Based Self-Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies for Population Surveillance. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32785665