Capillary Blood Sampling for Core Laboratories: Promise, Standardisation Gaps, and the Path Forward
This review evaluates capillary blood as a patient-centred alternative to venipuncture for core laboratory testing, highlighting advantages in accessibility, telemedicine support, and clinical trial participation. However, successful integration requires standardised collection kits with preanalytical error rates comparable to venous sampling, ISO 15189 compliance, and demonstrated analytical equivalence. The authors identify affordability, analyser compatibility, and regulatory alignment as the key barriers to scalable adoption.
The original study
Capillary blood in core laboratories: current and future challenges.
- Authors
- González Á, Deza S, Maroto-García J, Varo N
- Journal
- Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine
- Type
- Journal Article, Review
- PMID
- 41231667
Original abstract
Capillary blood sampling is gaining recognition as a patient-centered alternative to traditional venipuncture. Its main advantages are that it is less invasive, reduces patient discomfort, and potentially can be performed without the direct supervision of a healthcare professional. These features could facilitate access to healthcare, particularly for patients with limited access to clinical facilities or those requiring frequent testing, thereby supporting telemedicine, and improving participation in screening programs and clinical trials. However, its integration into routine clinical practice requires the development of standardized traceable processes and user-friendly collection kits that preserve sample quality and have preanalytical error rates comparable to those of venipuncture. Compliance with ISO 15189 and integration into existing laboratory workflows are essential. Moreover, device affordability and compatibility with analyzers will determine accessibility and scalability. Addressing logistical, regulatory, and technical challenges is key to fully realizing its potential as a patient-centric solution in modern healthcare, where the robustness of analytical data derived from capillary blood could be comparable to that obtained from venous blood. In this review, we analyze the potential role of capillary blood in routine clinical practice, highlighting its benefits and challenges and determining the conditions necessary for its successful implementation.