Point-of-Care Haemoglobin Testing for Anaemia Screening in Rural Communities of Plateau State, North Central Nigeria

This study evaluates the effectiveness and operational feasibility of point-of-care (POC) haemoglobin testing for anaemia screening in rural communities of Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. Anaemia is highly prevalent in rural Northern Nigeria, yet access to laboratory haematological services is severely limited in most primary health care settings, making POC testing a critical diagnostic bridge. A community-based implementation study was conducted across six rural primary health centres in Barkin Ladi and Qua'an Pan local government areas. The HemoCue Hb 301 device was deployed as the POC testing tool, and its performance was validated against the automated haematology analyser at a reference hospital laboratory using 200 paired samples. Community health workers (CHWs) were trained in device operation, result interpretation, and referral protocols over a three-day programme. A total of 1,240 community members were screened over four months. Anaemia was identified in 52.3 percent of women of reproductive age and 47.8 percent of children under five. HemoCue agreement with the reference laboratory was within plus or minus 0.5 g/dL for 91.2 percent of paired samples. CHW proficiency scores post-training averaged 87 percent. Referral uptake among screen-positive individuals was 68 percent with CHW follow-up support. The study demonstrates the feasibility of CHW-operated POC haemoglobin screening in rural Plateau State and recommends scale-up through the primary healthcare system, with structured refresher training and community sensitisation programmes. Keywords: point-of-care testing, haemoglobin, anaemia screening, rural communities, Plateau State.