We investigated the use of camera phones for telehaematology. First, the minimum requirements for the camera phones to be used in telehaematology were investigated. A single image containing white cells, red cells and platelets was sent from a camera phone to 33 different camera phones. Nine of the camera phones were found to be unsuitable for telehaematology due to low display resolution or no zoom function of the image. Then we examined the agreement between a haematologist using a suitable camera phone for remote diagnosis and the blood film report made in the usual way. Blood samples were collected from nine patients who had conditions in which diagnostically important morphological abnormalities occurred. In seven of the nine cases, the telehaematology responses were similar to the documented blood film reports. We conclude that telehaematology using camera phones offers a quick and potentially valuable method of support for the diagnostic haematology laboratory.

This presentation provides a basic introduction to the review by Dr R Gräsbeck which follows. Reports from World Health Organization (WHO) and various other publications give an estimate that two 2 billion people (20 /25% of the world population) are anaemic. Up to 80% of cases occur in developing countries. The main cause is iron deficiency anaemia, especially in children and pregnant women, whilst iron deficiency without anaemia is even more widespread and world-wide. Less prevalent, but nonetheless significant, are nutritional anaemias due to folate or cobalamin deficiency. Other common causes of anaemia in different regions of the developing countries are due to hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, malaria, chronic infections (notably AIDS and tuberculosis), thalassemia, sickle cell disease and other haemoglobinopathies. Several WHO units are concerned with the problems of nutritional anaemias; relevant publications include the following:

This presentation provides a basic introduction to the review by Dr R Grasbeck which follows. Reports from World Health Organization (WHO) and various other publications give an estimate that two 2 billion people (20� /25% of the world population) are anaemic. Up to 80% of cases occur in developing countries. The main cause is iron deficiency anaemia, especially in children and pregnant women, whilst iron deficiency without anaemia is even more widespread and world-wide. Less prevalent, but nonetheless significant, are nutri- tional anaemias due to folate or cobalamin deficiency. Other common causes of anaemia in different regions of the developing countries are due to hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, malaria, chronic infections (notably AIDS and tuberculosis), thalassemia, sickle cell disease and other haemoglobinopathies. Several WHO units are concerned with the pro- blems of nutritional anaemias; relevant publications include the following:

The Haemoglobin Colour Scale was developed for WHO as a simple, cheap, pocket-sized device for providing a reading of haemoglobin within 1 g/dL of true value. It is intended for the clinician/health worker without easy access to a laboratory, and it thus has an important role in management of anaemia in peripheral health services, especially in under-resourced areas, as well as in antenatal and child health programmes, in screening blood donors and for point-of-care anaemia checks anywhere. An international validation trial and other studies have confirmed its reliabilty when tested against reference haemoglobinometry. It is much more reliable than clinical examination in assessing the severity of anaemia and it has advantages over copper sulphate in blood donor screening.