Developing an anaemia prediction app for pregnant women in low‑ and middle‑income countries

Background/Aims Early detection of anaemia is vital in preventing complications among pregnant women. This study aimed to develop and validate an anaemia prediction method based on digital images captured with a smartphone application. Methods This study created the Denia app, which provided information on anaemia for pregnant women and assessed haemoglobin concentration. The content was developed using focus group discussions with 14 nurse-midwives and 15 pregnant women. Content was validated by a panel of three experts. The app was tested with 82 pregnant women, whose haemoglobin concentrations and pictures of palpebral conjunctiva were taken. Several parameters of the app's use were examined: linearity, detection and quantification limits, accuracy, precision, range of analytical method and self-detection trial results. Results The app met the content validity index consensus (>0.80) and could predict anaemia among participants with high accuracy and precision. No difference was observed between haemoglobin concentrations obtained using the app and those obtained using a commercial test kit. Conclusions The app demonstrated great analytical performance in predicting anaemia. Implications for practice Pregnant women may use the Denia app to easily detect anaemia early in pregnancy using a smartphone.