Last month, an inspiring Check@Home consortium meeting was held in Utrecht. An important milestone was celebrated: the first 40,000 individuals have successfully been invited to participate in Ik test.
The response has been impressive: 43% of invited participants aged 50-75 years and living in the region of Breda have completed one or more home tests. This not only demonstrates strong public interest in home-based testing but also represents a participation rate that is high compared with other digital population screening programs. A promising start and an important step towards the further scale-up of Check@Home.
We also had valuable discussions on modeling the cost-effectiveness of the screening program and better understanding what motivates people to participate in Ik test and what barriers may prevent participation.
It was a valuable and productive day with all stakeholders involved!
Within the Check@Home consortium, we are working together to develop a nationwide approach for the early detection of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and type 2 diabetes. When these conditions are detected early, timely treatment can reduce the risk of serious health problems, such as a heart attack or stroke, or kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.
The consortium is an initiative of the Dutch Heart Foundation, the Dutch Kidney Foundation, and the Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation, supported by the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance. Various Dutch university medical centers and universities collaborate with private partners within the consortium. The research leaders are Prof. Dr. Folkert Asselbergs (Amsterdam UMC) and Prof. Dr. Ron Gansevoort (UMCG).
