In a study conducted at Rice University, bioengineers discovered that hemoglobin concentrations (used to measure anemia severity) produced from a single drop of blood varied widely, and that samples of six to nine drops of blood were needed for more consistent results. It is not immediately clear if discrepancies are due to issues with the experiments themselves or if the variation exists within the individual droplets of blood, but the researchers stress the need for fingerprick tests to be administered with great care to ensure accuracy.
November 2015