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Towards a decision aid for self-tests: Users' experiences in The Netherlands
Willemijn M den Oudendammer1, Jacqueline E W Broerse1
1Faculty of Science, Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Summary
Self-tests offer convenience but have drawbacks like reliability concerns and unclear results. A decision aid is crucial for informed choices about using these health tools.
Area of Science:
- Health behavior
- Consumer health informatics
- Medical diagnostics
Background:
- Self-tests identify disease risk factors without professional medical guidance.
- Their use is increasing, highlighting the need for informed decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore user experiences with self-tests.
- Identify motivations for self-testing and perceived benefits/drawbacks.
- Determine key information for informed self-test use.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving 28 self-test users.
- Data collected through focus groups and interviews.
Main Results:
- Users cited concerns about test variety, reliability, administration errors, and result interpretation.
- Key factors for users included informed decision-making, ease of use, usefulness, and result accuracy.
Conclusions:
- A decision aid is recommended to guide users in selecting and using self-tests.
- Collaboration between government, health professionals, and organizations is vital for developing this aid.