Prioritizing safety in capillary blood collection

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone was encouraged to test at home for symptoms, the home diagnostics market has grown significantly over the last few years. At-home diagnostic kits let patients or users perform various tests and receive results right from the comfort of their homes. Using a lancet device, users collect their own blood sample and send it to a lab for analysis of one or more conditions, whether those have already been diagnosed or not. It’s essential that this process is intuitive and safe, and we’re dedicated to achieving this through our established point-of-care testing device portfolio.

By working closely with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients, we aim to provide comfortable, accurate, and, above all, safe medical devices that benefit from our manufacturing expertise. This effort led to our latest safety lancet, the Unistik^® Touch 16G. For over 20 years, we’ve manufactured single-use safety lancets, and the Unistik^® Touch device expands on this with multiple safety features designed to safeguard users and anyone else who could come into contact with a used or stored device.

To start, our lancets are sterilized and remain sterile, thanks to the over-molded lancet cap covering the needle tip. This also keeps the needle protected until the device is ready for use. With one-touch activation, the device is placed against the sampling site, triggering it automatically by pressure. After activation, the blade retracts back into the device, reducing the risk of reuse and needlestick injuries. This straightforward, user-friendly design is not just important for HCPs but for home users as well. Patients testing themselves at home, especially those new to capillary blood sampling, may find these devices easier to use, so the simplicity helps minimize the risk of needlestick injury.

The Unistik^® safety lancet portfolio is built with safety at its core and is specifically designed to protect users. We have focused on safety in our lancets long before safety directives¹ were put into place. Owen Mumford will keep advancing safety lancets with user protection as a top priority, alongside intuitive operation and ergonomic, innovative design.