Many people don’t think about the option of INR testing at home simply because they do not know about it. Doctors’ offices and clinics don’t present in-home testing as an option. Education would make more patients aware of it.
Patients on warfarin need to get INR levels measured regularly. As a rule, such patients must visit labs, local anticoagulation clinics, or doctor’s offices for blood tests. In-home testing is another great option for INR testing.
Self-testing patients check their INR more often than visit labs and medical centers. People doing in-home testing are more likely to have their warfarin dosage adjusted to stay in the correct INR range.
Other benefits of doing self-tests at home include but are not limited to the following:
- It’s more convenient because patients can test their INR levels without the need for frequent visits to medical centers;
- It only requires a finger stick instead of a full blood sample;
- It leads to fewer blood clots.
If you are interested in self-tested and want to get started, you need to speak to the provider who manages your warfarin. They will decide if you are a good fit for in-home testing. They’ll submit your information to a medical service company if they decide you are.
If you’re interested in in-home testing, you must speak to the provider who manages your warfarin. They will work with you to decide if you’re a good fit for in-home testing. They’ll submit a form to a medical service company with your information if you are a good candidate. As a rule, such companies send a trainer to your place to show you how to use the machine correctly and report the results for the first time.
After testing your blood, you will have to report your results to the company you are working with. Once the company gets the results, they’ll send them to the provider. The company will also manage billing and insurance-related parts of the process. Once the provider gets the results, they can adjust the dosage as needed.
