{"id":495,"date":"2016-10-06T11:21:23","date_gmt":"2016-10-06T11:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mathworks.com\/headlines\/?p=495"},"modified":"2020-02-26T18:03:19","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T18:03:19","slug":"theres-an-app-for-that-using-your-smartphone-to-test-for-anemia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mathworks.com\/headlines\/2016\/10\/06\/theres-an-app-for-that-using-your-smartphone-to-test-for-anemia\/","title":{"rendered":"There\u2019s an app for that! Using your smartphone to test for Anemia."},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019d be willing to bet that if you were asked to list ten uses for your smartphone, you probably wouldn\u2019t include \u201cmedical device\u201d in your answer. But as smartphones become increasingly capable, highly-portable computing platforms, researchers are looking to the computer in everyone\u2019s pocket as a way to improve global health.<\/p>\n

As Wired UK<\/em> declared earlier this year, the next revolutionary medical device is likely to be your smartphone.<\/a>\u00a0Scientists have already developed smartphone-based apps that can monitor\u00a0asthma<\/a>, detect skin cancer<\/a>, and diagnose traumatic brain injuries.<\/a>\u00a0The latest app that joins the “doctor in your pocket” list is helping screen for anemia.<\/p>\n

Anemia screening. No needle required.<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Anemia is a blood disorder that results from a lack of red blood cells or dysfunctional red blood cells in the body. Patients with anemia, including those with leukemia and pregnant women, require regular screening. This can lead to frequent trips to a medical facilities for blood draws.<\/p>\n

Imagine if you could simply take a picture of your finger with your smartphone and save yourself a trip to the doctor’s office. You would also be able to avoid an extra blood draw.<\/p>\n

“Every time we draw blood, we are invading the patient in some way, shape or form. If we don\u2019t already have a line in, we are sticking a needle into their arm, which involves discomfort and infection risk, albeit low,\u201d stated Dr. Terry Gernsheimer<\/a>,\u00a0University of Washington School of Medicine. \u201cIt would be really nice to not have to perform a procedure every time we want to answer that question.\u201d<\/p>\n

HemaApp<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Researchers from the University of Washington used a smartphone\u00a0to create a portable, inexpensive device that can diagnose anemia. It’s called HemaApp <\/a>and is an app that noninvasively estimates the blood hemoglobin concentration using the camera on a smartphone. HemaApp uses artificial intelligence to determine the concentration of hemoglobin by analyzing the color of the blood pulsing through your finger.<\/p>\n

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Image credit: University of Washington.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

The research team, comprised of electrical engineers, computer scientists, and hematologists from the University of Washington, partnered with Seattle Children\u2019s Hospital to develop HemaApp. HemaApp provides a way to screen for anemia\u00a0and then flags patients that require more extensive testing.<\/p>\n

According to Digital Trends<\/em>, this research \u201cwon\u2019t replace a finger prick and an actual blood test, but the program could be used to easily (and non-invasively) screen patients to determine whether or not additional testing is needed.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c In the developing world, screening for anemia is commonly used for assessing malnutrition,” said lead author and electrical engineering doctoral student\u00a0Edward Wang<\/a>. “Community health workers have so much specialized equipment to monitor different conditions that they literally have whole bags full of devices. We are trying to make these screening tools work on one ubiquitous platform \u2014 a smartphone. We developed HemaApp with the aim to reduce the overhead for providing cheap and noninvasive monitoring of anemia.”<\/p>\n

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