REVIEW ON HEMOGLOBIN COLOUR SCALE

Abstract

The Haemoglobin Color Scale was designed for WHO as an easy , affordable, pocket-sized device to provide real-value haemoglobin reading within 1 g / dL. It is intended for the clinician / health worker without easy access to a laboratory, and thus plays an important role in managing anaemia in peripheral health services, especially in under-resourced areas, as well as in antenatal and child health initiatives, screening blood donors, and point-of-care anaemia tests wherever they may be. When tested against reference hemoglobinometry, an international validation trial and other trials have verified its reliability. When determining the seriousness of anemia, it is much more effective than clinical review. It has been over a decade since the introduction of the Haemoglobin Color Scale (HCS) by WHO which needs only a drop of blood on a special paper compared to a chart of red different shades and is very suitable for resource limited countries. But in detecting anaemia, a systematic review by Critchley and Bates revealed varied HCS sensitivity and specificity. Most studies reported
good results and recommended use of HCS, while few reported being too unreliable for general use, especially in places where the haemoglobinometerHemoCue was available. In this review, we have discussed the background, method of diagnosis and its usefulness along with implementations in major international health programs. By comparing various literature available online, we have evaluated its advantages and disadvantages over other methods of hemoglobin estimation.