A Point-of-Care Method with Integrated Decision Support Tool to Estimate Anemia at Population Level

Summary

An accurate hemoglobin estimation method is lacking at the point of care and may hinder population-based programs for treating anemia. Therefore, we developed a point-of-care method based on pooled capillary blood and an auto-analyzer integrated into a custom software application to categorize the hemoglobin values into different grades of anemia.

Abstract

Robust point-of-care methods are required to estimate anemia at the population level. The accurate methods are lab-based and cannot be used at the point of care. To address this caveat, a novel method based on pooled capillary blood and a portable autoanalyzer was developed for the estimation of Hb. Additionally, custom software was developed for near-real-time integration of the Hb values from the auto analyzer to the server. Moreover, a decision support tool that can immediately categorize the participants into different stages of anemia was developed. The decision support tool was designed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) cut-off for anemia at the population level and was available for all age and gender groups. This simple and user-friendly tool could easily be used by front-line health workers who have limited technical skills. Overall, the method developed could be used at the point of care and is accurate. This high-throughput method could be used for screening anemia at the population level for all age and gender groups.

Introduction

Anemia is a major public health problem globally, particularly in India. It is well known that anemia has a detrimental impact on the work productivity of the population and the economic growth of the country¹. To leverage the national-level efforts to reduce anemia, the latest public health program initiated in 2018 is the Anemia Mukt Bharat program (AMB). AMB identifies 'testing' followed by tailored 'treatment' as one of the most promising approaches to reducing anemia prevalence in vulnerable age groups². However, accurate point of care (POC) estimation of hemoglobin (Hb) for diagnosing anemia is need....

Protocol

The protocol follows the guidelines of the Institutional Review Board of the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India (IRB. No.08/I/2018).

1. Pooled capillary sample collection for Hb analysis using hematology analyzer^10,11

1. Configuring the barcode printer and scanner
   1. Connect the barcode printer to the laptop system.
   2. Install the barcode printer driver on .......

Discussion

The current paper describes a point-of-care method using a pooled capillary blood sample and an auto-analyzer. The method was integrated with custom software, which could upload the results from the analyzer automatically to the server and generate decisions on anemia. Also, it could provide the treatment doses of IFA as per the protocol of the National program².

The custom software was designed to integrate barcode printing, hematology data export, and visualization of.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
ABX Miniclean	Horiba Ltd, Japan	23-450-004	Enzymatic solution
ABX Minidil LMG	Horiba Ltd, Japan	23-450-008	Buffered isotonic solution for RBC/PLT dilution, sleeving and cleaning
ABX Minilyse	Horiba Ltd, Japan	23-450-006	Hb measurement; lysing solution
ABX Minocal	Horiba Ltd, Japan	2032002	Calibrator
ABX Minoclair	Horiba Ltd, Japan	23-450-003	Cleaning reagent
ABX Minotrol 16 - 2H	Horiba Ltd, Japan	2042209	Blood control
ABX Minotrol 16 - 2L	Horiba Ltd, Japan	2042208	Blood control
ABX Minotrol 16 - 2N	Horiba Ltd, Japan	2042202	Blood control
Autoanalyzer	Horiba Ltd, Japan	ABX Micros ES 60	The FTP port should be functional
Barcode printer	Technology service corporation, USA	TSC Model TE 244	400 Mhz 32 bit RISC processor with 16 MB SDRAM, 8 MB Flash memory
Barcode Scanner	Retsol	LS-450	Any company which can provide a scanner with the following specifications: 32 bit CPU fast decode ability, IP 54 rated, Light source – visible laser diode 650 nm, Single scan pattern with scan rate of 100scans/second, Scan width of 200 mm & precision of 4 mil, Scan angle – YAW 65 Deg, Rotation 30 Deg & Pitch 55 Deg, Scan indication – buzzer, light indicator, Scan mode both manual & continue scanning
BD needles holder	Becton, Dickinson and company Ltd, Dublin, Ireland	364879
Contact activated lancet	Becton, Dickinson and company Ltd, Dublin, Ireland	366594, 366593	For children below 1 year, venous blood sample has been collected.
Custom software	Kavin Corporation, Bangalore	N/A
K2-EDTA Microtainer-5 mL	Becton, Dickinson and company Ltd, Dublin, Ireland	363706	EDTA tube for blood profile analysis with 1.0 mg K2 EDTA, dimensions 13 x 75 mm
Labels	G-Technologies, Secunderabad, telangana	N/A
Laptop	Any	N/A	Intel Core I3-1005G1,  8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, 15.6 FHD LED, WIN 11 HOME  and MS OFFICE H&S