Smartphone device, app provide health screening

Smartphone device, app provide health screening


You use your smartphone to check the weather, take a look at your stock portfolio, track your exercise routine and much, much more.

In the near future, smartphones may be used for a whole new purpose: analyzing blood samples for health screenings.

Researchers from Columbia University have developed a device known as a “dongle” that they say can tell from a very small amount of blood if a person has either H-I-V or syphilis.

The dongle plugs into and draws power from a smartphone. It has a small area where the blood sample must be deposited. The device is paired with an app that guides the user through its operation.

A simple finger prick is all it takes to get results. In about 15 minutes, the test results are ready.

The device is suited for remote locations with few health care resources and populations skeptical of extensive medical testing.

To demonstrate this, the Columbia University scientists sent some of the dongles to Rwanda. There, trained medical workers used them to test blood from 96 patients at three clinics. The patients also gave blood samples through traditional blood draws to compare to the results from the smartphone dongle.

When interviewed about the experience, most of the patients said they preferred a finger prick to the regular blood draw. In addition, the researchers noted that overall, the dongle provided an acceptably low rate of false negative results.

It’s too early to predict whether these smartphone devices will ultimately take off as a widely used diagnostic tool. More study of the dongles is needed, for one thing. But it’s neat to imagine a future where screening for disease is simple as pricking a finger and waiting a few minutes for results.

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