Towards a decision aid for self-tests:Users’ experiences in The Netherlands
Background: Self-tests enable the identification of (risk factors for) diseases and are carried out on the user's initiative without medical indication or advice and often unaided by a health professional. They are frequently used, and their availability and usage are expected to grow. Self-testing has both advantages and disadvantages. Making a well-informed decision about whether to self-test and which self-test to use is of major importance. Objective: To provide insights into the experiences of self-test users, identifying reasons to self-test and perceived (dis)advantages of using self-te... Mehr ...
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Dokumenttyp: | Artikel |
Erscheinungsdatum: | 2019 |
Reihe/Periodikum: | den Oudendammer , W M & Broerse , J E W 2019 , ' Towards a decision aid for self-tests : Users’ experiences in The Netherlands ' , Health Expectations , vol. 22 , no. 5 , pp. 983-992 . https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.12903 |
Schlagwörter: | consumer experience / consumer information / decision making / diagnostic test / qualitative research / self-management / Self-test / /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/peace_justice_and_strong_institutions / name=SDG 16 - Peace / Justice and Strong Institutions |
Sprache: | Englisch |
Permalink: | https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26844297 |
Datenquelle: | BASE; Originalkatalog |
Powered By: | BASE |
Link(s) : | https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/7f72a5ca-a620-4d09-9b8c-ac2eee2ef453 |
Background: Self-tests enable the identification of (risk factors for) diseases and are carried out on the user's initiative without medical indication or advice and often unaided by a health professional. They are frequently used, and their availability and usage are expected to grow. Self-testing has both advantages and disadvantages. Making a well-informed decision about whether to self-test and which self-test to use is of major importance. Objective: To provide insights into the experiences of self-test users, identifying reasons to self-test and perceived (dis)advantages of using self-tests and the information highlighted as relevant by self-test users to make well-informed decisions. Methods: In a qualitative study, 28 users of a wide variety of self-tests shared their experiences in focus groups and interviews. Results: Perceived disadvantages of self-testing included the following: a wide range of available self-tests, lack of insights into their reliability and content, possibility of mistakes in administering them, possibility of false-positive and false-negative results, lack of clarity about how to interpret results and consequently what action to take and fear of not being taken seriously by a general practitioner. Self-test aspects that were viewed as most important include informed decision making, user-friendliness, usefulness and reliability of results. Conclusion: A decision aid for future self-test users can help people make a deliberate decision on whether to use a self-test and which particular self-test to use from the wide range available. The government, health professionals, patient organizations, consumer organizations and citizens all have a role to play in the development and implementation of a decision aid.