Self-collection is increasingly recognised as a critical enabler of modern diagnostic pathways, allowing patients to collect biological specimens either in the home setting or under limited supervision. While self-collection is often associated with convenience, its broader value is far more significant: expanded access to testing, improved participation in screening programs, enhanced public health safety and greater operational efficiency across healthcare systems.
As the pre-analytical phase remains one of the most important determinants of diagnostic reliability, it is essential that self-collection solutions are designed to preserve specimen integrity from the point of collection through transport and laboratory processing. Better diagnostics begins with better sample collection.
The Strategic Importance of Self-Collection in Healthcare Delivery
From a public health and clinical operations perspective, self-collection offers a range of measurable benefits. These include:
- Reducing close contact between patients in hospitals and emergency settings
- Improving healthcare professional safety
- Enabling home-based collection and sample shipment, saving time for both patients and clinicians
- Optimising healthcare cost-effectiveness and reducing medical staff workload
In addition, self-collection supports broader healthcare objectives, including improved implementation of telemedicine services and increased participation in clinical studies and screening programs, particularly where geographic and cultural barriers limit access to in-person testing.
The Pre-Analytical Challenge: Ensuring Reliable Samples Outside Controlled Environments
While self-collection expands access, it also introduces variability. Unlike traditional clinician-collected sampling, home-based specimen collection occurs in uncontrolled environments and may involve prolonged transport and variable temperature conditions.
For laboratories and healthcare programs, the success of self-collection therefore depends on the performance of the collection device as a pre-analytical system—one that supports:
- intuitive and standardised sampling
- safe and compliant transport
- nucleic acid stability for molecular workflows
- compatibility with downstream processing and assay platforms
Characteristics of High-Performance Self-Collection Consumables
When selecting self-collection consumables for diagnostic and screening programs, decision makers should prioritise solutions that deliver:
1. User-friendly and standardised collection
Devices must support reliable specimen acquisition, minimising patient uncertainty and improving consistency.
2. Transport safety and regulatory suitability
Leak-proof systems and dry-format solutions can reduce safety risks and simplify logistics, particularly for postal testing models.
3. Specimen stability for molecular testing
Preservation of nucleic acids across transport time and temperature is essential for accurate NAAT/PCR results.
4. Laboratory workflow compatibility
Self-collected specimens must integrate efficiently into laboratory protocols without adding complexity or compromising throughput.
Copan Self-Collection Portfolio: Clinical Applications and Key Differentiators
Copan’s self-collection range has been developed to support high-quality sampling across several clinical applications, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HPV screening, gastrointestinal infections, microbiome studies and respiratory testing.
Self UriSponge™ — Urine Self-Collection for STI Diagnostics
Self UriSponge™ is a sponge-based urine self-collection system designed to absorb the correct amount of first-void urine, supporting safe, standardised home collection. A leak-proof tube enables safe handling and shipment.
Key differentiators include:
- controlled absorption of first-void urine to support sample consistency
- leak-proof transport format for improved safety and logistics
- preservatives and dry formulation enabling shipment from remote locations without impacting results
- performance comparable to neat first-catch urine specimens on molecular platforms
- potential cost reduction per infection detected compared to clinic-based testing models
Self Vaginal FLOQSwabs® — Dry Vaginal Self-Sampling for HPV and STI Screening
Self Vaginal FLOQSwabs® are designed to support comfortable and reliable vaginal home collection, featuring a soft tip, ergonomic shaft, insertion mark and clear instructions.
Key differentiators include:
- dry transport enabling cost-effective logistics and eliminating liquid-related safety issues
- demonstrated comparable performance to professional collection and wet sampling systems
- established use in HPV and cervical cancer screening programs, supporting improved participation rates
This is particularly relevant in cervical cancer prevention, where screening adherence remains a primary barrier. Self-collection increases participation in cervical screening programs, including in remote and low-resource settings.
Conclusion: Self-Collection as a Long-Term Diagnostic Enabler
Self-collection represents a significant opportunity for the future of medicine, supporting scalable testing models, improved patient participation, and reduced strain on healthcare resources. However, successful implementation depends on more than patient willingness—it requires self-collection devices that preserve sample quality and deliver laboratory-ready specimens regardless of collection setting.
Increasing awareness and addressing concerns around correct collection is important, reinforcing the need for high-quality, easy-to-use devices engineered specifically for home-based sampling.
With continued adoption across infectious disease diagnostics, STI screening, HPV programs, and decentralised testing strategies, self-collection is expected to remain a key growth area within diagnostic consumables and pre-analytics.