A prospective observational pilot study to test the feasibility of a smartphone enabled uChek© urinalysis device to detect biomarkers in urine indicative of preeclampsia/eclampsia

This study sought to determine the feasibility of rural Bangladeshi midwives’ use of a novel urinalysis technology powered by an Android device and cuboid light box. The results of two to three antenatal care visits for 350 enrolled pregnant women demonstrate the potential of the mobile health devices in enhancing antenatal care in remote areas. The traditional urinalysis dipstick readings were comparable to the uChek© device readings across the three main parameters already covered by the traditional dipstick method. Our results further indicate that midwives were able to read and record additional parameters provided by the uChek© device including protein to creatinine ratios, and microalbuminuria, both of which are standardized biomarkers for preeclampsia that can be detected at 22 weeks gestation. In a qualitative evaluation conducted after the first antenatal care visits were completed, the midwives and their supervisors found the uChek© device easy to learn and easy to use. This study has implications for future mobile health projects which seek to introduce Android devices at the point of care and for the earlier detection of preeclampsia markers through urinalysis in low resource settings.