HemoCue Study
Work got a lot more hands-on this week and actually quite entertaining and nerve racking at times. To help me learn how to use the HemoCue machines, I got to take lead on a small variability study for the Fish on Farms project, which is to determine how accurate these point-of-care hemoglobin (Hb) measuring machines are, and if there are differences across machines when taking the same blood sample from a participant. Because we used these machines for our baseline and end-line measurements to collect information about the prevalence of anaemia in Prey Veng, this variability study will help us better understand the reliability of this field tool and how it compares to a lab hematology analyzer.
So how the HemoCue machines work is that you take a sample drop of blood from a capillary source, usually taken from the fingertip of your middle or ring finger, using a special microcuvette. The sample is then placed into the small hand-held machine, and in about 30-40 seconds, through a photometric measurement, it will give you a reading of your hemoglobin level. A healthy individual (varies with age and gender) should have a Hb level of 12.0 g/dL or greater, and someone with mild anaemia may have 11.0-12.0 g/dL. Because this tool provides pretty much instantaneous results and is portable, it is widely used in the field to screen individuals for anaemia.
I got to recruit five (oh, so very lucky) staff members around Helen Keller International and were they ever so excited when I told them I was going to be taking a small stab at their fingers, not just once, but six times over 3 days. Thank goodness everyone I asked was extremely friendly and was willing to let this random intern from Canada practice on them. I guess having a stash of strawberry milk candies and chocolate as an incentive also helped too. I pretty much had to improvise and turn my desk into a tiny clinic, it was fantastic. I share an office with my boss and with some other colleagues, so people just walk-in for other work-related matters and I’m just there taking blood samples in one corner, no big deal. But anyways, the first day of sampling went more smoothly than I expected, as it was my first time. I was a bit nervous at first, but by the end of the day, I got the procedure down, no problem. No one screamed at me, walked out in streams of tears, or was plastered in unnecessary amounts of bandages, so I think that in itself was a personal victory. Remaining calm, relaxed and confident was probably the most important lesson I learned. One day down, two more to go!