Patient experience

In collaboration with the academic hospital Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen and the rheumatology centre Reade in Amsterdam we have performed several studies in patients to examine the use of finger pricks.

In the figure below you can find violin plots showing questionnaire items related to patients’ experience and tolerability regarding the finger prick (Otten et al., (2023)). In this study patients rated several aspects related to their experience with the finger prick device on a 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS), which is displayed on the X-axis.

Overall, patients are very positive towards to use of finger prick sampling. For example, sampling did not cause discomfort and patients felt competent using the kit at home, thanks to the clear instructions. In addition, performing a finger prick is less time consuming and patients do not have to travel to their healthcare facility. Both are important reasons why patients prefer a finger prick at home above a site visit!