Iron deficiency, lactose intolerance, gonorrhea – these are some of the myriads of medical self-tests that can be purchased online. But now critical voices are being raised against the home tests.
Researchers and doctors warn that the tests can be misleading and cause more work for healthcare.
– I think that is very inappropriate, says Magnus Isacson, chairman of the Swedish Association for General Medicine.
Lots of different medical self-tests are offered online. Some only test if you suffer from a specific disease, others offer extensive information about your well-being. But now both researchers and doctors are warning that the harm may be greater than the good with these samples.
– To find out how you really feel, I think it’s very common to hear. Then you have to find out by taking a lot of blood samples. And I think that is very inappropriate, because if you are well and feel healthy then you don’t need health tests like this, says Magnus Isacson, chairman of the Swedish Association for General Medicine
Burdens care
In a new article in the medical journal BMJ, researchers criticize this type of testing. They point to the companies playing on people’s fears and luring consumers into buying unnecessary samples.
In addition, it risks creating displacement effects in healthcare when healthy people seek help after being worried about self-tests.
Helps with stress
According to Magnus Isacson, there are good self-tests, for example those for venereal diseases or screening for HPV. But the tests that are done without a specific question about which disease is being investigated risk mainly contributing to stress.
– There is very strong pressure from various quarters to keep track of your health. I think that is quite destructive, he says.
Isacson urges instead to focus on healthy lifestyle habits.
– I think you should focus more on eating reasonably healthy, exercising and making sure to have a good time and spend time with family and friends. Because those are the things that make you feel good.