Other at home tests

[LuvOrlando]

What do you think the chances would be for at home Flu? At home Strep? At home UTI? Maybe even skin stuff for little kids like Thrush etc.

We have pregnancy tests for at home, I see drug tests in the stores, people can do glucose tests & I just recently saw info in an article for at home STD testing that's being floated in California. This got me to thinking about how much better it would be if we didn't need to clog up Dr offices for stuff we can do at home, if we could be our own gateway instead of just going in to see a Dr for allergies or whatever because it wastes time and money and really, needlessly puts healthy people in contact with sick people. It's plain that our medical care facilities and Dr offices simply can't absorb 330 million people getting spooked all at once & it's also clear that the majority of us are responsible and will contact caregivers if we are positive for a thing and not feeling great. Even more clear is that left to our own devices Americans will spend far more than Dr's will prescribe and that drives up profits which funds research and better cost saving ways to do things, I mean for $14 I can buy first step Binax that would tell me to stop and wait or proceed to step 2 in a few days. Wouldn't this be a good thing for everyone if we had easy access and could care for ourselves as much as possible?

 

[tvguy]

Well, not sure it would gain a lot since legally if you test positive, your would still need to go see the Doctor for treatment, and before any treatment the Doctor would probably want his own test done.

 

[AMW86]

What do you think the chances would be for at home Flu? At home Strep? At home UTI? Maybe even skin stuff for little kids like Thrush etc.

We have pregnancy tests for at home, I see drug tests in the stores, people can do glucose tests & I just recently saw info in an article for at home STD testing that's being floated in California. This got me to thinking about how much better it would be if we didn't need to clog up Dr offices for stuff we can do at home, if we could be our own gateway instead of just going in to see a Dr for allergies or whatever because it wastes time and money and really, needlessly puts healthy people in contact with sick people. It's plain that our medical care facilities and Dr offices simply can't absorb 330 million people getting spooked all at once & it's also clear that the majority of us are responsible and will contact caregivers if we are positive for a thing and not feeling great. Even more clear is that left to our own devices Americans will spend far more than Dr's will prescribe and that drives up profits which funds research and better cost saving ways to do things, I mean for $14 I can buy first step Binax that would tell me to stop and wait or proceed to step 2 in a few days. Wouldn't this be a good thing for everyone if we had easy access and could care for ourselves as much as possible?

There are at home UTI tests. I always do one to see if I actually have one before going to the doctor for an actual culture. Most doctors in my experience want an actual culture to ensure they are prescribing the right antibiotic, but it is a good way to screen for one at home

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, not sure it would gain a lot since legally if you test positive, your would still need to go see the Doctor for treatment, and before any treatment the Doctor would probably want his own test done.

What do you mean legally if you test positive you would still need to go to your doctor for treatment

 

[LuvOrlando]

Well, not sure it would gain a lot since legally if you test positive, your would still need to go see the Doctor for treatment, and before any treatment the Doctor would probably want his own test done.

I think you mean antibiotics, if so that's all true. Not saying anyone would be able to treat because Dr's need to give prescriptions, but every year I would waste trips thinking I had strep or my kids had strep when it was just allergies. Screening yourself and using that telemedicine nurse visit would probably cut the strain on Family Dr's tremendously, apparently there is a big shortage. These healthcare workers need a break and it must drive them up a wall to be saying no to visits for really sick people when diagnosis ends up not serious, but people have no way to know and can't do any self care so as it is now we are all just stuck.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

every year I would waste trips thinking I had strep or my kids had strep when it was just allergies. Screening yourself and using that telemedicine nurse visit

I totally get where you're coming from the only thing is just like with these at home covid tests they worry some of these results are misleading because people are not administering them correctly, for example the covid test getting the nasal swab far enough in and ensuring you collected enough for the result to come back. I've read about at home strep tests but they do caution they don't do the same dianostics as at the doctor's office and they can be done incorrectly at home. I think that's the biggest hurdle in any of these at home things. They kinda need to be idiot proof and I don't mean that negatively I just mean in a way to ensure everyone can do them reasonably without a statistical significance in user error.

I'm all for at home just sorta need to tweak things if we want to use at home route more and more which I do think is a good possibility as we've seen people do prefer this. There's a main hospital system in my area that at least one of the doctors is advising patients before they even come into the office they need to do a covid test. I assume though he's relying on rapid tests because PCR is nigh on impossible to get back in enough time consistently enough this late fall/winter for the patient's appointment although the doctor didn't state this when he was interviewed so I'm just going off assumptions. I'm sure it's a lot of at home rapid tests as well as drive thru. At least the rapid test we took at a drive thru we did it ourselves in the car.

 

[neverlandsky]

Here's the thing with any home + test you still have to go to the doctor to confirm to make it official. With both my kids I took a home pregnancy test that came up positive and then made a doctor's appointment to confirm. DH's home Binax was +. DH still had to go in and needed an official PCR + for work and the county health district even though he had pictures of his Binax + taken hours earlier. Home tests are definitely a good first step.

 

[Wendy1985]

Uti already exists

 

[prairie_girl]

There are at home UTI tests. I always do one to see if I actually have one before going to the doctor for an actual culture. Most doctors in my experience want an actual culture to ensure they are prescribing the right antibiotic, but it is a good way to screen for one at home

Uti already exists

What is the test called? I'd definitely like being able to test at home because I can never go when I'm at the dr...

 

[neverlandsky]

What is the test called? I'd definitely like being able to test at home because I can never go when I'm at the dr...

AZO has home UTI tests.

 

[AMW86]

What is the test called? I'd definitely like being able to test at home because I can never go when I'm at the dr...

I use Azo but the drugstore often has a generic brand

 

[easyas123]

I've gotten antibiotics via a telehealth appt. w/o test results.
It was great - easy, simple & Dr. was very helpful.

 

[tvguy]

I've gotten antibiotics via a telehealth appt. w/o test results.
It was great - easy, simple & Dr. was very helpful.

Okay, so technically you did see the Doctor. Guess it depends, but a friend has been fighting with one of her Doctors about getting a refill of a prescription. He won't do it without an in person office visit, at a cost of $600. He say he can't legally do it since it has been over a year since he saw her. She called her insurance company advocate who concurred, she has to go in.

 

[tvguy]

What do you mean legally if you test positive you would still need to go to your doctor for treatment

Not sure a lot of Doctors would accept a home test is all I am saying

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not sure a lot of Doctors would accept a home test is all I am saying

That's a lot different than saying it's illegal, I'm unaware of all-encompassing laws that require a doctor to perform their own test prior to treatment and your comment was that you'd need to go to the doctor for treatment.

People treat conditions without going to a doctor. Many of the women I've known that have UTIs typically treat them at home without a doctor. They've come to know their bodies and know when it's not clearing up on their own and they need intervention (an example of a condition but there's others).

If doctors are accepting rapid tests right now I don't think it's a stretch that the concept of accepting an at home test is that far out there. Cologuard for example is used as an at home screening tool and is done at the direction of a doctor. More than likely doctors would want to know the reliability of a test, any test, before accepting it but I couldn't say just by virtue of it being at home would they not accept it.

 

[prairie_girl]

Okay, so technically you did see the Doctor. Guess it depends, but a friend has been fighting with one of her Doctors about getting a refill of a prescription. He won't do it without an in person office visit, at a cost of $600. He say he can't legally do it since it has been over a year since he saw her. She called her insurance company advocate who concurred, she has to go in.

that’s the way it should be. It’s so sketchy that drs are writing prescriptions without seeing a patient first.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Okay, so technically you did see the Doctor. Guess it depends, but a friend has been fighting with one of her Doctors about getting a refill of a prescription. He won't do it without an in person office visit, at a cost of $600. He say he can't legally do it since it has been over a year since he saw her. She called her insurance company advocate who concurred, she has to go in.

Well that's normal procedure though. But whether it's telehealth appointment or in-person visit is up to each doctor/practice. Usually there's a set number of refills (3 is the most common I see) before you have to call the doctor to get it re-okayed for more and it's not abnormal to want a check in if it's been long enough. This can help understand if the condition is still ongoing in the same way as before.

But as far as going in or not that's a bummer, wonder if there are any telehealth appointments?

FWIW while my husband did have to go in to get the test done both him and his sister this year had MRI and Echo done but the consultation before the tests were ordered and the reading of the results were done via telehealth.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Okay, so technically you did see the Doctor. Guess it depends, but a friend has been fighting with one of her Doctors about getting a refill of a prescription. He won't do it without an in person office visit, at a cost of $600. He say he can't legally do it since it has been over a year since he saw her. She called her insurance company advocate who concurred, she has to go in.

In order to get ongoing care from a Dr there is usually a requirement to be seen face to face at least once a year, my state relaxed the rule for 2020 & allowed televisits but I noticed rules tightened back up in 2021, like I needed to be physically in the state my Dr was in for a telehealth visit and many wanted face to face in 2021. Some prescriptions are more tightly held than others too, probably to make sure a condition is still present that demands touching or seeing & some insurance has their own rules - my Botox for migraine has it's own rules. If it's pain medicine I would imagine it might demand face to face to assess the state of a person. Then there is always the Dr's preference, any Dr can do as they see fit.

For myself, I tend to make sure I see everyone and do blood-work etc in the summer months so that I can get ongoing maintenance care all winter without face to face. I did this long before present circumstances, Flu A was more than enough to keep me away if at all possible November 1 - April 1.

 

[tvguy]

Well that's normal procedure though. But whether it's telehealth appointment or in-person visit is up to each doctor/practice. Usually there's a set number of refills (3 is the most common I see) before you have to call the doctor to get it re-okayed for more and it's not abnormal to want a check in if it's been long enough. This can help understand if the condition is still ongoing in the same way as before.

But as far as going in or not that's a bummer, wonder if there are any telehealth appointments?

FWIW while my husband did have to go in to get the test done both him and his sister this year had MRI and Echo done but the consultation before the tests were ordered and the reading of the results were done via telehealth.

My Doctors charges the same for a telehealth visit as an office visit. So you don't have to go in, but you don't save any money.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My Doctors charges the same for a telehealth visit as an office visit. So you don't have to go in, but you don't save any money.

Great, although not all do, that's just whatever the doctor wants. It's not always about money. Sister-in-law sat in her car on her lunch break at her work to go over her results for about 15 mins rather than take several hours off work just to do the same thing. My husband fit his in between meetings while he was working from home one day. I don't remember the charge if it was any less although my husband received a 30% discount as he paid in full the charges when the bill came rather than pay in installments.

It's not a one size fits all thing but nor is the adaptation and embracing of it a bad thing. From your comment, this was about your friend so unless you're privy to the rates their doctor charges what your doctor charges is irrelevant.