Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-need

Leveraging the increasing accessibility of smartphones in healthcare settings, we developed a smartphone app aimed at enhancing sickle cell disease (SCD) screening, particularly in resource-limited settings. Our application provides accurate and non-invasive SCD screening with instant results at the...

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Main Authors: Eudorah F. Vital, Meredith Haak LiCalzi, Robert G. Mannino, Patrick T. McGann, Wilbur A. Lam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Heliyon
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025002105
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author Eudorah F. Vital
Meredith Haak LiCalzi
Robert G. Mannino
Patrick T. McGann
Wilbur A. Lam
author_facet Eudorah F. Vital
Meredith Haak LiCalzi
Robert G. Mannino
Patrick T. McGann
Wilbur A. Lam
author_sort Eudorah F. Vital
collection DOAJ
description Leveraging the increasing accessibility of smartphones in healthcare settings, we developed a smartphone app aimed at enhancing sickle cell disease (SCD) screening, particularly in resource-limited settings. Our application provides accurate and non-invasive SCD screening with instant results at the point-of-need. The app operates by analyzing patient fingernail images via a smartphone image to gauge anemia severity and by using targeted inquiries to identify SCD-related symptoms. These inputs collectively generate an SCD IMage and Patient profile-based Likelihood Estimation (SIMPLE) score, which estimates disease probability. The accuracy of the score depends on two inputs: the patient's anemia status and their health survey responses. We tested the app on 485 pediatric patients at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), achieving an overall sensitivity of 74 % and specificity of 76 % in screening for SCD among children aged 6 months to 21 years. Notably, the app demonstrated enhanced performance in the target demographic, with 100 % sensitivity and 75 % specificity for screening SCD in children aged 6 months to 5 years. This cost-effective and scalable app efficiently pinpoints and stratifies individuals, particularly those who missed early screening, for formal screening programs.
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issn 2405-8440
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publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Elsevier
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spelling doaj-art-0ef74d03a61b4acc88fec3e839b65d7e2025-02-02T05:28:19ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-01-01112e41830Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-needEudorah F. Vital0Meredith Haak LiCalzi1Robert G. Mannino2Patrick T. McGann3Wilbur A. Lam4Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, USWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, USSanguina, Inc, Atlanta, Georgia, 30092, USLifespan Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, US; Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Department of Pediatrics, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, USWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, US; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, US; Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, US; Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, US; Institute for Matter and Systems, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, US; Corresponding author. Emory Children's Center. 2015 Uppergate Dr, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, US.Leveraging the increasing accessibility of smartphones in healthcare settings, we developed a smartphone app aimed at enhancing sickle cell disease (SCD) screening, particularly in resource-limited settings. Our application provides accurate and non-invasive SCD screening with instant results at the point-of-need. The app operates by analyzing patient fingernail images via a smartphone image to gauge anemia severity and by using targeted inquiries to identify SCD-related symptoms. These inputs collectively generate an SCD IMage and Patient profile-based Likelihood Estimation (SIMPLE) score, which estimates disease probability. The accuracy of the score depends on two inputs: the patient's anemia status and their health survey responses. We tested the app on 485 pediatric patients at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), achieving an overall sensitivity of 74 % and specificity of 76 % in screening for SCD among children aged 6 months to 21 years. Notably, the app demonstrated enhanced performance in the target demographic, with 100 % sensitivity and 75 % specificity for screening SCD in children aged 6 months to 5 years. This cost-effective and scalable app efficiently pinpoints and stratifies individuals, particularly those who missed early screening, for formal screening programs.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025002105Sickle cell diseaseNon-invasiveScreeningSmartphone appPredictive algorithmPoint-of-need
spellingShingle Eudorah F. Vital
Meredith Haak LiCalzi
Robert G. Mannino
Patrick T. McGann
Wilbur A. Lam
Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-need
Heliyon
Sickle cell disease
Non-invasive
Screening
Smartphone app
Predictive algorithm
Point-of-need
title Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-need
title_full Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-need
title_fullStr Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-need
title_full_unstemmed Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-need
title_short Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-need
title_sort non invasive smartphone image based screening for sickle cell disease at the point of need
topic Sickle cell disease
Non-invasive
Screening
Smartphone app
Predictive algorithm
Point-of-need
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025002105
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