EKF Diagnostics, Cardiff, United Kingdom, has introduced POC Connect, a data management smartphone application for its DiaSpect hemoglobin analyzer. The reagent-free hemoglobin analyzer is lightweight and palm-sized, and delivers laboratory-quality hemoglobin results within 2 seconds at the point of care (POC). POC Connect supports mobile health checks and anemia screening in a range of locations, environments, and climates.
The new mobile app is a simple Android application that enables the storage, access, and transmission of hemoglobin results directly from the DiaSpect analyzer to a smartphone via Bluetooth technology. DiaSpect can be purchased with integrated Bluetooth capability, eliminating the need to purchase an additional external Bluetooth dongle.
The new POC tool is designed to be useful in countries with challenging environmental and geographical conditions where remote hemoglobin testing and access to the Internet can be difficult. The DiaSpect device records hemoglobin results with dates and times, and users can then add such unique identifiers as patient ID, user ID, quality control information, and comments. Data are synchronized and stored on the smartphone in a history list for easy access. Data can then be transferred as a protected CSV file at any time, and can be added to a central database or lab information system as required.
Katja Lemburg, EKF Diagnostics.
“Connectivity is a key requirement for POC devices,” says Katja Lemburg, hematology global product manager at EKF Diagnostics. “Within developing countries, there is a growing demand for mobile data management solutions due to the lack of permanently available Internet infrastructure and the bypassing of more traditional landline installations. Having connected POC hemoglobin testing with the DiaSpect via Bluetooth and 3G/4G mobile networks makes it an ideal solution to record data in the absence of Internet connection or electricity. In addition, mobile heathcare services are expanding in industrialized countries; therefore, our smartphone-based connectivity solution could also play a part in these remote clinics.”
The DiaSpect device has sufficient battery life for 40 days of continuous use, and up to 10,000 tests, without the need for a recharge. Additionally, its reagent-free microcuvettes have up to a 2.5-year shelf life, even after opening, and are unaffected by temperature or humidity. The disposable cuvettes can be stored from 0°C to 50°C; short-term storage is possible at –30°C to 70°C for 24 hours. Users collect a capillary or venous blood sample of <10 µL in the microcuvette before inserting directly into the analyzer. With an automatic self-check between every measurement, no recalibration or maintenance is needed.
For more information, visit EKF Diagnostics.
