Department of Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Næstved, Denmark; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Department of Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Næstved, Denmark; Department of Research, Zealand University Hospital, Køge, Denmark.
Acta Oncol. 2024 Sep 18;63:718-727. doi: 10.2340/1651-226X.2024.41050.
Before administration of myelosuppressive chemotherapy, complete blood counts (CBC) collected at the hospital/nursing stations are evaluated to avoid severe bone marrow suppression. This maintains disease fixation which often reduces their quality of life. This mixed-method study examined at home self-testing of CBC, the test quality, and the effects on patients' mental well-being.
Patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy were recruited and trained to perform capillary finger prick CBC testing at home using the HemoScreen Point-of-Care instrument and to upload the test results to the hospital's IT system subsequently. A venous reference CBC sample was taken and tested at the hospital on the day of self-testing. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended components were performed to investigate the user experience and the impact of self-testing on the patients' everyday lives.
Thirty-nine patients completed the self-testing education using the HemoScreen instrument. Eight patients withdrew, while the remaining 31 patients performed 161 home tests (2-11 tests per patient) over a 4-month period. The test results compared well with the venous reference CBCs except for platelet counts (correlation coefficient 0.26). Qualitative interviews with nine of the 31 patients emphasized that the patients were comfortable using the self-testing instrument and becoming an active partner in their own treatment.
CBC self-testing at home produced clinically valid hemoglobin and white blood cell counts with the added benefit that the patients became active partners in their own treatment course, which was of great importance for the patients and increased their wellbeing.
在给予骨髓抑制化疗之前，在医院/护理站采集完整的血细胞计数（CBC）进行评估，以避免严重的骨髓抑制。这维持了疾病的固定状态，往往降低了他们的生活质量。本混合方法研究在家中检查了 CBC 自测、测试质量以及对患者心理健康的影响。
招募接受化疗的乳腺癌患者并进行培训，使其能够使用 HemoScreen 即时检测仪器在家中进行毛细血管指尖 CBC 检测，并随后将检测结果上传到医院的 IT 系统。在自测当天，在医院采集静脉参考 CBC 样本并进行测试。进行半结构化访谈，其中包括开放式问题，以调查用户体验以及自测对患者日常生活的影响。
39 名患者使用 HemoScreen 仪器完成了自测教育。8 名患者退出，而其余 31 名患者在 4 个月的时间内进行了 161 次家庭测试（每位患者 2-11 次测试）。除血小板计数外（相关系数 0.26），测试结果与静脉参考 CBC 相比非常吻合。对 31 名患者中的 9 名进行的定性访谈强调，患者使用自测仪器感到舒适，并成为自己治疗的积极参与者。
在家中进行 CBC 自测可产生具有临床有效性的血红蛋白和白细胞计数，并且患者成为自己治疗过程中的积极参与者，这对患者非常重要，增加了他们的幸福感。
