PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF VERI-Q RED HAEMOGLOBIN METER FOR POINT-OF-CARE HAEMOGLOBIN AND PACKED CELL VOLUME ESTIMATIONS

Vivian  Apollos; Ransom  Jacob; Zaccheaus Jeremiah

doi:10.5937/sanamed19-48722

Vivian Apollos Rivers State University,Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Ransom Jacob Rivers State University,Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Zaccheaus Jeremiah Rivers State University,Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/sanamed19-48722

Keywords: Veri-Q, performance indices, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, anaemia, point of care

Abstract

Introduction: Haemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) are tests used in the assessment of anaemia. The Veri-Q haemoglobin meter is a new device in the point-of-care market used for the quantitative measurement of haemoglobin and packed cell volume. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the Veri-Q haemoglobin meter for the assessment of haemoglobin and packed cell volume.

Materials and Methods: Haemoglobin and packed cell volume estimations of one hundred and eleven participants were determined using the Veri-Q Red haemoglobin meter and statistically compared with those obtained from the conventional method (gold standard).

Results: One hundred and eleven undergraduate students participated in this study, of whom 72 (64.9%) were females and 39 (35.1%) were males. The mean haemoglobin values calculated using the Veri-Q haemoglobin meter (11.97 ± 1.95 g/dl) were significantly lower than the values obtained with the conventional method (12.35 ± 1.66 g/dl) (t= 4.7549; p=0.0001). Similar results were obtained with packed cell volume estimation. The performance indices of the Veri-Q haemoglobin meter were as follows: sensitivity (75.41% for Hb and 77.05% for PCV), specificity (28.0% for Hb and PCV), positive predictive value (PPV) (56.1% for Hb and 56.63% for PCV), negative predictive value (48.28% for Hb and 50% for PCV). The prevalence of anemia in this study was 54.05%. Positive Likelihood Ratio (1.05 for Hb and 1.07 for PCV), Negative Likelihood Ratio (0.88 for Hb and 0.82 for PCV), Accuracy (54.05% for Hb and 54.95% for PCV). The Receiver Operative Characteristics (ROC) Area Under Curve (AUC) was 0.996 for Hb and 0.984 for PCV. A significant but weak positive correlation was found to exist between haemoglobin estimations using conventional and Veri-Q methods (r=0.3013, P =0.01); PCV (R=0.2512, P =0.07). The sensitivity of the device can be described as moderate while the specificity is low. The accuracy of the device is just average.

Conclusion: The Veri-Q haemoglobin meter demonstrates an average level of accuracy and a high AUC, making it potentially useful for field epidemiological studies.

Author Biographies

Vivian Apollos, Rivers State University,Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

ORCID: 0009-0005-7247-9924

Ransom Jacob, Rivers State University,Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

ORCID: 0000-0001-5677-9592

Zaccheaus Jeremiah, Rivers State University,Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

ORCID:0000-0003-4994-9826

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