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Updated: May 11, 2026
Dried Blood Spots - Preparing and Processing for Use in Immunoassays and in Molecular Techniques
Published on: March 13, 2015
Acceptability, barriers and facilitators of using dried blood spots-point-of-care testing for sickle cell disease in
Obiageli Eunice Nnodu1, Nchangwi Syntia Munung2, Lulu Chirande3
1Center of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training (CESRTA), University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria nchangwisyntia@yahoo.com oennodu@gmail.com awonkam1@jhmi.edu ep91@nyu.edu.
Insights
Newborn screening for sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa using point-of-care technologies faces implementation challenges. Understanding influencing factors is key to reliable and sustainable SCD newborn screening programs.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Genetics
- Implementation Science
Background:
- Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major inherited blood disorder, with over 515,000 annual births globally, predominantly in Africa.
- Integrating newborn screening (NBS) for SCD into primary healthcare, like immunization programs, is promising.
- Dried blood spot (DBS)-point-of-care technologies (POCT) offer cost-effective SCD NBS solutions, but scaling them in Africa presents challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore factors influencing the reliability, feasibility, acceptability, adoption, and sustainability of DBS-POCT (HaemoTypeSC) for SCD NBS in African primary healthcare settings.
- Identify barriers and enablers for successful implementation of SCD NBS technologies.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study conducted in seven African countries.
- Utilized the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Implementation Outcome Model.
- Data collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with mothers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers.
- Thematic analysis used for data interpretation.
Main Results:
- Factors influencing implementation include individual, organizational, and external contexts.
- Detailed findings on reliability, feasibility, acceptability, adoption, and sustainability are explored.
- Insights into successful integration strategies for SCD NBS in diverse African healthcare systems.
Conclusions:
- Addressing identified factors is crucial for successful scale-up of DBS-POCT for SCD NBS in Africa.
- Implementation strategies must be tailored to local contexts for sustainable SCD newborn screening.
- This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and healthcare providers to improve SCD outcomes through early detection.
Background:
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a prevalent inherited blood disorder. Globally, approximately 515 000 babies are born with SCD annually, with 75% of these births occurring in Africa. Integrating newborn screening (NBS) for SCD into primary healthcare structures, such as immunisation programmes, holds significant promise, with dried blood spots (DBS)-point-of-care technologies (POCT) like HaemoTypeSC offering cost-effective screening solutions. However, scaling up DBS-POCT for NBS of SCD in Africa remains challenging.
Objective:
This study aims to explore individual, organisational and external factors that may influence the reliability, feasibility, acceptability, adoption and sustainability of using DBS-POCT with HaemoTypeSC for NBS of SCD at primary healthcare centres in African countries.
Method:
This qualitative study will be conducted in seven African countries that are part of the SickleInAfrica consortium sites. The study design is informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Implementation Outcome Model. Participants will be mothers whose babies have been diagnosed with SCD, healthcare professionals and policy-makers. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions will be used for data collection. Data analysis will be through thematic analysis.
Ethics And Dissemination:
Research ethics approvals have been obtained from the seven countries. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The study results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed scientific journals, scientific conferences, reports to national ministries of public health and webinars.
