Off-the-shelf self-test kits 'often not fit for purpose'

MORE than half of health self-test kits might give misleading results, experts have warned.

- By Hanna Geissler Health Editor

Eighteen out of 30 were rated as “high risk” by researchers, meaning they could lead to an erroneous outcome.

The team also identified 11 kits with problematic equipment, 10 with issues in the sampling process and 15 with complications regarding the instructions.

Accuracy

In all, the analysed tests covered 19 conditions, including vitamin D deficiency, high cholesterol, menopause, HIV and bowel cancer.

Researchers found that performance claims were made for 24 tests, with more than half claiming 98% or higher accuracy.

However, much of the evidence to back those claims was not publicly available or of low quality, it was said.