The ins and outs of remote blood collection

What is remote blood collection?

Remote blood collection refers to scenarios where patients collect their own blood either at home or outside of a traditional phlebotomy setting. Often, remote blood collection is synonymous with “self-collection.” However, it also can refer to healthcare providers using emerging technologies such as autonomous robotic phlebotomy devices and small, handheld capillary blood collection devices when venipuncture is not available (Technology [Singap World Sci] 2018; doi: 10.1142/S2339547818500048).

Currently, an assortment of remote collection devices have obtained varying degrees of regulatory approval. These devices typically collect capillary blood, and several of them use small needles or blades combined with vacuum technology to collect a relatively painless sample from the patient’s upper arm.

As of early 2026, the most prevalent applications of remote blood collection include chronic illness monitoring, wellness laboratory testing, and decentralized clinical trials. Importantly, remote blood collection holds numerous benefits for patients. It makes testing more accessible, particularly for the many patients around the globe who have to travel several hours to get their blood drawn by phlebotomy professionals. Other benefits include reduced cost and stigma, particularly with sexual health testing.

How do you transport remote blood samples?

Laboratories have several options for collecting, storing, and transporting blood in a remote setting. These include filter papers, volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) devices, and microtainer tubes (with or without anticoagulant for plasma and serum, respectively) that connect directly to a device. Dried blood spots on filter papers or VAMS devices are typically more stable over longer periods of time, while microtainer tubes are used for more immediate testing needs or larger volume collection.

Typically, filter papers and VAMS devices are best suited for research or biobanking, as the volume collected is too small for routine clinical laboratory testing. Additionally, many high-throughput clinical laboratories do not have a workflow established for extracting samples from filter paper or VAMS devices. Microtainers work best for the automated clinical laboratory, as there are preestablished workflows for handling these tubes because of the prevalence of their use in neonatal and pediatric patients.

What are the challenges of processing and analyzing these samples?

To ensure optimal and accurate results, laboratory staff must consider several factors when receiving remotely collected samples. These factors include time since collection, separation of the plasma and serum from cells, storage and transport conditions, sample source, sample quality and volume, and the regulatory status of the device and tube type used to collect and transport the blood sample.

Because the safety and efficacy of many remote collection devices is still being investigated, the laboratory must be included in any discussions about using remote blood collection for patient care. Currently, sample stability — particularly temperature regulation during transport and the time to centrifugation — poses one of the biggest hurdles for laboratory testing on remotely collected blood, because it can cause inaccurate results. Innovations in this area would greatly improve access to remote blood collection in communities across the globe.

Additionally, not all analytes exhibit biologic equivalence in capillary versus venous blood samples; thus, laboratory directors must carefully evaluate the sample source for suitability. Validating new collection methods and tube types is part of standard laboratory workflow, so forming a collaborative interdisciplinary team to investigate these requests is vital for quality patient care.

Overall, as laboratorians, it is our responsibility to consider the comprehensive situation when clinical or research teams request remote blood collection.

Ria C. Fyffe-Freil, PhD, MS, NRCC, is the director of clinical chemistry and an assistant professor in the department of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. +Email: [email protected]

Read the full March-April 2026 issue of CLN.