Home Testing for COVID19 Made Possible with Telehealth

Confirm Testing is a brand new business that was launched within 6 weeks from idea to opening their (virtual) doors. Not long after the COVID19 pandemic hit the world, Toby Nicol had a discussion with a friend of his, who happens to be a scientist who had developed a unique way of looking at COVID19 antibodies. After many more discussions, they created a simple testing kit which accurately confirms the presence or absence of COVID19 antibodies.

In short, it answers the question that many people are asking: “Have I had COVID19?”

Toby is an entrepreneur with a background at EasyJet, and so was very familiar with the world of disruptive business models. He realised the importance of this discovery and how many people would need access to testing – preferably from their homes. But to comply with government guidelines, the test needs to be administered by a qualified healthcare professional (NHS nurses band 7+). So, Toby realised that the solution here was to arrange online Telehealth sessions, which would involve registered nurses assisting clients with performing the tests, without them needing to leave their own homes.

Looking for a Telehealth solution, Toby discovered Zanda (formerly Power Diary), and later found that it would be useful for much more than just conducting the online session. As he says:

“Our organisation is made up of three parts: our website, the communication with customers, and our nurses. Zanda (formerly Power Diary) sits at the heart of it all.”

Toby worked with the Zanda (formerly Power Diary) team to streamline their processes to automate and simplify as much as possible. Once a client orders the kit, they receive a template email to confirm their order, and they are sent a template form which provides them with more information and collects their patient consent. This form uses linked fields so that the information is automatically saved into the client’s record. Once the client receives their testing kit in the mail, they use the client portal to book a telehealth session with a nurse. At the appointed time, the nurse and client have the session together and the nurse records the results of the test.

Toby says:

“The Zanda (formerly Power Diary) system has been integral to our organisation. Having a system that includes Telehealth, Client Records, Communication Templates, Online Forms and more, has allowed us to streamline our operations and focus on getting this test to as many people as possible.”

So, how does the test work? The client uses the testing kit mailed to them and, with the assistance of the nurse via Telehealth, they perform a simple finger-prick and put a few droplets of blood onto the testing device along with some testing liquid. This is similar to a home pregnancy testing kit and the answer is provided within 10-15 minutes. For most clients, this is a lot simpler than the “lollypop up the nose” tests done in medical centres.

When we asked who was using Confirm Testing, Toby said: “It’s anyone and everyone! For the most part, people want to know if they’ve had COVID19 because they want to get back to work. We’ve had Hollywood actors, lawyers and lots of people whose work involves close contact like dentists and tattoo artists having tests done. Some companies are also arranging tests for all of their employees.”

So far, around 20% of tests have been positive (although this is not likely to be indicative of the general population as many of the people having tests already suspect they might have had it). Toby also told us that their results are being used (in an anonymised way) to contribute to NHS clinical trials which are assessing the relationship between the loss of taste and smell as a likely indicator of COVID19.

If you are interested in having a COVID19 test, Confirm Testing has kindly given anyone reading this article a 10% discount. For more information and to access this offer, go to www.confirmtesting.com and use the code “Zanda (formerly Power Diary) 10” at the checkout (without quotes).