Senior Science Director Quest Diagnostics Chantilly, Virginia, United States
Description: In an era of personalized medicine, self-collection is being utilized more and more both for diagnostic and health-monitoring purposes. Self-collected tests can be handled, both with and without direct involvement of a healthcare professional. Self-collection holds the promise of providing health accessibility, convenience and even cost-effectiveness. There are also several challenges such as regulatory, accuracy, privacy, potential misuse and equity in access. In this point-counterpoint style session, we will explore the key factors involved in setting up and implementing self-collection systems while weighing the advantages and drawbacks. The balanced perspective will help determine whether it should be widely adopted or approached with caution.
Learning Objectives: - Explain the potential benefits and challenges of self-collection in personalized medicine, including issues of access, accuracy, privacy, and regulation. - Compare self-collection models involving healthcare professionals versus fully independent patient use. - Assess the viability of widespread adoption of self-collection methods and determine critical metrics to evaluate prior to implementation.
