Validation of the Hem-Col capillary blood collection system for routine laboratory analyses.

At home collection of capillary blood using Hem-Col tubes (Labonovum) could offer a solution to patients with chronic conditions, who require frequent laboratory analyses. The collection tubes contain a conservation buffer to stabilize analytes for up to 5 days. In this validation study it was investigated whether analytes are measured accurately in Hem-Col tubes 5 days after collection.