The ease of use and reproducibility of the Alere™ Heart Check System: a comparison of patient and healthcare professional measurement of BNP.

Aims: The aim of the study was to examine the ease of use and the reproducibility of a novel point-of-care BNP measurement system when used by patients and healthcare providers (HCP).
Patients & Methods: Patients with symptomatic heart failure were recruited from outpatient clinics at four hospitals. They were provided with brief training and instructional material for the use of the point-of-care BNP measurement system. Finger-prick blood BNP concentration was measured by the HCP and the patient (n = 150). Ease of use and reproducibility of the system were assessed.
Results: In total, 80% of the 164 patients who completed a questionnaire on the ease of use of the system found it easy to operate. There was excellent correlation of BNP measurement compared between patients and HCP (r = 0.966; p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Patients find the Alere Heart Check BNP measurement system easy to operate. BNP concentration measurements obtained by patients show excellent correlation with those obtained by healthcare providers.