Back in the day if you wanted to check up on your health, you’d need to make a trip to the doctor. However these days a lot of medical technology has become cheap and convenient enough where we can do our own tests at home, like measuring blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and so on.
Of course none of these are expected to replace a doctor (nor should they), but their convenience means that users can quickly get an idea and decide if a follow-up with a doctor is necessary, or use that data to show to their physicians. Now over in the UK, a startup called TestCard is launching a kit that will use your iPhone, more specifically the phone’s camera and flash system, to conduct a urinalysis which is said to be as good as those done by clinics.
For those unfamiliar with the purpose of urinalysis, it basically uses your urine to determine what kind of chemicals are in your system, such as illicit drugs, or it could even be used to diagnose certain medical conditions like kidney disease, STIs, prostate health, and so on. TestCard even claims that its strips can be used for fertility testing and could suggest ovulation optimization.
TestCard is already being used in the UK, but there are plans to bring it to the US where it could cost around $5 for a pack of three strips. Like we said, while such technology shouldn’t be a replacement for a professional medical practitioner, its convenience and price could make it more accessible for some.