Non – Invasive, smartphone image-based screening for sickle cell disease at the point-of-need
Eudorah F. Vital,
Meredith Haak LiCalzi,
Robert G. Mannino,
Patrick T. McGann,
Wilbur A. Lam
Affiliations
Eudorah F. Vital
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, US
Meredith Haak LiCalzi
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, US
Robert G. Mannino
Sanguina, Inc, Atlanta, Georgia, 30092, US
Patrick T. McGann
Lifespan Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, US; Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Department of Pediatrics, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, US
Wilbur A. Lam
Wallace 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.
