The home diagnostics market has grown rapidly over the past few years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people were encouraged to check for symptoms at home. But home diagnostic tests go beyond just COVID-19. The rise of diseases like diabetes, obesity, and sexually transmitted infections, along with people who want to know more about their own health, has pushed demand higher. The market was valued at over $5.4 billion in 2020, and it’s expected to reach $8.5 billion by 2030.
Searches are up as consumers seek at-home testing and sample kits
Patients are choosing at-home testing and sample kits for the convenience of using them outside a clinic, so they can check for health issues early from the comfort and privacy of home. While these aren’t as thorough or reliable as seeing a healthcare professional, at-home testing and sampling offer a solution for busy people and medical offices with limited resources, or for people who might feel embarrassed or anxious about certain topics like sexual health. These kits help patients make that first move toward a diagnosis and treatment on their own terms.
The most searched at-home testing and sampling kits
Using keyword research, medical device specialists Owen Mumford identified the top at-home medical testing and sampling kits people are searching for:
| Rank | At home tests | Total search volume |
| 1 | Food Intolerances | 46,430 |
| 2 | Blood Test | 40,420 |
| 3 | Chlamydia | 33,750 |
| 4 | Gonorrhoea | 22,010 |
| 5 | Syphilis | 21,840 |
| 6 | Herpes | 20,250 |
| 7 | HIV | 19,400 |
| 8 | DNA | 18,810 |
| 9 | Thyroid | 15,595 |
| 10 | Bowel Cancer | 11,940 |
| 11 | UTI | 8,645 |
| 12 | Strep A | 8,420 |
| 13 | Liver Function | 8,280 |
| 14 | Glucose | 7,850 |
| 15 | Allergies | 6,450 |
The research showed that food intolerance tests were the most searched for at-home test, with an average of 46,430 Google searches. Blood test kits came next, followed by chlamydia tests.
Choosing the right safety lancet
An important part of any home test kit is the safety lancet, used to draw a small blood sample. You prick your finger with the lancet, collect the blood in a tube, and then mail it to a lab for analysis.
There are a few things to consider when picking a safety lancet for home test kits. First is how easy the device and instructions are for users. Since you won’t have a healthcare professional there to show you what to do, the devices must be safe, simple to use, and help prevent mistakes when collecting blood. If the sample gets contaminated, the results could be wrong or unusable and the test won’t help.
It’s also important to think about how you trigger the lancet, like contact-activated or side-fire types, for user-friendliness. In addition, pain-reducing designs make taking a sample more comfortable.
Brands offer lots of devices with different options, so picking the right type for each test is key. Needle size and depth can be chosen for small blood samples (such as blood sugar testing), or for larger amounts (over 200 microliters) for multi-biomarker tests.
While some home test kits can be bought in stores, most are delivered by mail. Ideally, the box should fit through a regular mailbox, so every part needs to be designed to fit without sacrificing how well it works.
Usually, you’ll get three to five safety lancets with a kit, to make sure you have enough to get the sample you need. Smaller safety lancet designs fit better in the packaging and can be shipped in larger amounts without using too much space.
Rachel Chapman, Product Manager at Owen Mumford, says:
“At-home test kits have become more and more popular over the last few years and they’re a great way for people to check for medical issues from the comfort of their own homes. Owen Mumford has been at the forefront of point-of-care testing device development for years with our Unistik capillary blood sampling products. Our wide selection of high-quality, budget-friendly, single-use lancets and lancing devices can be used for capillary blood draws across a variety of tests — from blood sugar, blood clotting and heart markers to cholesterol checks, infectious diseases, and plenty more.”
The growing demand for at-home testing is a win for both patients and healthcare professionals, making diagnosis easier and reducing stress on the healthcare system. For device manufacturers, it’s a sign that there’s a strong need for safe, easy-to-use lancet devices that deliver accurate home testing and help bring diagnostic testing from the clinic into the home.