Feasibility of a novel self-collection method for blood samples and its acceptability for future home-based PrEP monitoring

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases Vol. 22; no. 1; p. 459
• Main Authors: Cannon, Chase A, Ramchandani, Meena S, Golden, Matthew R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 13.05.2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acceptability; Antibodies; Antigens; Blood; Blood self-collection; Blood volume; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Creatinine; Disease transmission; Feasibility; Feasibility Studies; HIV; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Testing; Home sampling; Homosexuality, Male; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Infectious diseases; Laboratories; Male; Medical examination; Monitoring; Phlebotomy; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis - methods; PrEP; Prophylaxis; Public health; Reagin; Sampling; Sampling methods; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sexual health; Sexually transmitted diseases; STD; Syphilis; United States; United States > US; Home sampling; PrEP; Syphilis; Blood self-collection
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07432-0

Most non-clinic based HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programs require fingersticks to self-collect blood specimens for laboratory monitoring, a technique that often results in inadequate blood volume for quantitative syphilis and HIV serological testing. We evaluated the acceptability and feasibility of using the Tasso OnDemand™ device as a self-sampling method for PrEP monitoring tests and compared results from samples obtained using the Tasso device to clinician-collected blood samples. We enrolled study subjects online and in a sexual health clinic and HIV clinic in Seattle, WA, USA to assess the acceptability of blood self-sampling and preferences for home-based PrEP monitoring. We compared HIV antigen/antibody, quantitative rapid plasma reagin and creatinine results in paired self-collected and clinical specimens collected from a subset of participants. Of 141 participants, 124 (88%) were interested in collecting samples for PrEP monitoring at home. Among 48 who completed blood collections, 94% found the Tasso device easy to use and 95% felt they could perform self-sampling at home. Of 27 participants who used two devices, 100% collected sufficient blood to perform up to two tests while 33% collected sufficient serum for three tests. Agreement in test results between paired samples was high. These pilot data suggest that using the Tasso self-collection device is acceptable and could feasibly be used to obtain serum specimens sufficient for guideline-recommended PrEP monitoring, though use of a larger volume device may be preferable.