At-home self-collection of saliva, oropharyngeal swabs and dried blood spots for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and serology: post-collection acceptability of specimen collection process and patient confidence in specimens.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Mariah Valentine-Graves, Emory University; Eric Hall, Emory University; Jodie Guest, Emory University; Elizabeth Adam, Emory University; Rachel Valencia, Emory University; Isabel Hardee, Emory University; Katlin Shinn, Emory University; Travis Sanchez, Emory University; Aaron Siegler, Emory University; Patrick Sullivan, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-06-12
• Publisher: NIH
• Publication Version: Preprint (Prior to Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: author/funder
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.10.20127845
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: medRxiv
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (3R01AI143875-02S1).
• Keywords: post-collection; immune response; testing; diagnostic specimens; SARS-CoV-2; infection; self-collection
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Biology, Virology; Health Sciences, Immunology

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Options to increase the ease of testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection and immune response are needed. Self-collection of diagnostic specimens at home offers an avenue to allow people to test for SARS-CoV-2 infection or immune response without traveling to a clinic or laboratory. Before this study, survey respondents indicated willingness to self-collect specimens for COVID-related tests, but hypothetical willingness can differ from post-collection acceptability after participants collect specimens. METHODS: 153 US adults were enrolled in a study of the willingness and feasibility of patients to self-collect three diagnostic specimens (saliva, oropharyngeal swab (OPS) and dried blood spot (DBS) card) while observed by a clinician through a telehealth session. After the specimens were collected, 148 participants participated in a survey about the acceptability of the collection, packing and shipping process, and their confidence in the samples collected for COVID-related laboratory testing. RESULTS: A large majority of participants (>84%) reported that collecting, packing and shipping of saliva, OPS, and DBS specimens were acceptable. Nearly nine in 10 (87%) reported being confident or very confident that the specimens they collected were sufficient for laboratory analysis. There were no differences in acceptability for any specimen type, packing and shipping, or confidence in samples by gender, age, race/ethnicity, or educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Self-collection of specimens for SARS-CoV-2 testing and preparing and shipping specimens for analysis were acceptable in a diverse group of US adults. Further refinement of materials and instructions to support self-collection of saliva, OPS and DBS specimens for COVID-related testing is needed.