Portable Assessment of Hemoglobin Levels in Resource Poor Settings

Team Members: Philippe Decorwin-Martin, Austin Kwong, Xin Xin Lin, Nawal Siddiqui

Capstone Clients:  Megan Huchko, M.D., M.P.H Advisor for Jacaranda Health; Nick Pearson, Founder and managing Director for Jacaranda Health

Purpose: Jacaranda Health is a mobile maternity clinic serving rural & urban communities in Kenya. One dysfunction relevant to Jacaranda’s mission is to diagnose and treat anemia. Anemia is characterized by a decrease in red blood cells or a low level of hemoglobin in the blood and leads to an annual death toll of almost a million deaths. The Capstone team worked with Jacaranda Health to create portable means to accurately assess human hemoglobin levels in a resource-limited setting using commonly available mobile telephone technology and WHO anemia standards.