Microbe Magazine Podcast

So you want validated, at-home, self-collected swabs for STI testing… Here's what you need to know!  Sexually transmitted infection rates continue to climb across the US and while testing for these diseases is widely available, for the most part it requires the patient to go to a local clinic to collect and submit their sample for testing. But, is that really necessary, especially from a test accuracy perspective? Today’s guests answer that exact question. And I’m sure that many, if not all of us would agree that the ability for patients to collect samples outside of a clinical setting has numerous benefits, including what the authors refer to as pseudo-anonymity, increased comfort and ultimately increased access to testing, which would be of particular value for patients that may avoid clinical settings due to various different socioeconomic barriers.  Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/40XCHpAFvqw Guests: Dr. Breland Hockman, who is a board certified clinical chemist and the Director of Clinical Affairs