Validating a Sclera-Based Smartphone Application for Screening Jaundiced Newborns in Ghana

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Public Health

Background:

• Neonatal jaundice is a common condition that can lead to severe neurologic complications if untreated.
• Low-resource countries face challenges in accessing reliable screening tools for neonatal jaundice.
• Early detection and management of hyperbilirubinemia are crucial to prevent bilirubin-induced neurologic damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize and validate the neoSCB smartphone application for screening neonatal jaundice.
• To assess the diagnostic performance of neoSCB in comparison to a standard transcutaneous bilirubinometer.
• To evaluate the potential of neoSCB as an accessible and affordable screening tool in resource-limited settings.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study enrolled 724 infants aged 0-28 days in Ghana.
• Neonatal jaundice screening was performed using the neoSCB app and the JM-105 transcutaneous bilirubinometer.
• Screening values were compared with total serum bilirubin (TSB) measurements.

Main Results:

• The neoSCB app demonstrated high sensitivity (0.94) and specificity (0.73) for identifying infants with TSB >14.62 mg/dL.
• Its diagnostic performance was comparable to the JM-105 device.
• Correlation between scleral-conjunctival bilirubin (SCB) and TSB (r=0.78) was strong, though lower than transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) and TSB (r=0.93).

Conclusions:

• The neoSCB application is a viable, affordable, and contact-free screening tool for neonatal jaundice.
• Its diagnostic performance is comparable to existing transcutaneous devices.
• neoSCB holds significant potential for improving neonatal jaundice screening in resource-limited environments.