Original Article

Quality and use of consumer information provided with home test kits: room for improvement

  1. Janaica E. J. Grispen MSc PhD Student1,*,
  2. Martine H. P. Ickenroth MD PhD Student/trainee General Practitioner2,
  3. Nanne K. de Vries PhD Professor of Health Promotion3,
  4. Trudy van der Weijden MD PhD Professor of Clinical Practice Guidelines4,
  5. Gaby Ronda PhD Senior Researcher5

Article first published online: 19 JUL 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-7625.2012.00805.x

Additional Information

How to Cite

Grispen, J. E. J., Ickenroth, M. H. P., de Vries, N. K., van der Weijden, T. and Ronda, G. (2012), Quality and use of consumer information provided with home test kits: room for improvement. Health Expectations. doi: 10.1111/j.1369-7625.2012.00805.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of General Practice, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

  2. 2

    Department of General Practice, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

  3. 3

    Department of Health Promotion, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

  4. 4

    Department of General Practice, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

  5. 5

    Department of General Practice, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

* Correspondence
Janaica E. J. Grispen
Department of General Practice
CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care
Maastricht University
P.O. Box 616
6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands
E-mail: janaica.grispen@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Publication History

  1. Article first published online: 19 JUL 2012
  2. Manuscript Accepted: 2 JUN 2012

Funded by

  • Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development. Grant Number: 50-50101-96-406
  • Central Ziekenfonds (CZ) health insurance company

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Keywords:

  • consumer information;
  • quality assessment;
  • self-test;
  • self-testing

Abstract

Background

Diagnostic self-tests (tests on body materials that are initiated by consumers with the aim of diagnosing a disorder or risk factor) are becoming increasingly available. Although the pros and cons of self-testing are currently not clear, it is an existing phenomenon that is likely to gain further popularity.

Objective

To examine consumers' use of and needs for information about self-testing, and to assess the quality of consumer information provided with home test kits, as perceived by consumers and as assessed using a checklist of quality criteria.

Methods

A cross-sectional Internet survey among 305 self-testers assessed their use of and needs for information and their perception of the quality of consumer information provided with self-test kits. A meta-search engine was used to identify Dutch and English consumer information for home diagnostic tests available online at the time of the study. The quality of this consumer information was evaluated using a checklist of quality criteria.

Results

The consumers' information needs were in line with the most frequently used information, and the information was perceived as being of moderate to good quality. The information was mostly in agreement with clinical practice guidelines, although information on reliability and follow-up behaviour was limited. Approximately half of the instruction leaflets did not include information on the target group of the test.

Conclusions

Although generally of moderate to good quality, some aspects of the information provided were in many cases insufficient. European legislation concerning self-tests and accompanying information needs to be adapted and adhered to more closely.

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