Evaluation of Sickle SCAN® As A Rapid Point-Of-Care System for Sickle Cell Disease Detection in The Gabonese Population

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) represents a major inherited hemoglobin disorder with substantial consequences for childhood survival, chronic morbidity, and health-system capacity, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Gabon is characterized by a significant burden of sickle cell trait and documented clinical relevance of SCD, creating a need for diagnostic approaches that are rapid, accessible, and suitable for decentralized healthcare settings. Conventional diagnostic strategies may require laboratory infrastructure that is not uniformly available, whereas point-of-care testing offers the possibility of shortening the interval between presentation, diagnosis, and clinical intervention. This research and review article evaluates the potential role of Sickle SCAN® as a rapid point-of-care system for SCD detection in the Gabonese population. The analysis synthesizes the supplied literature concerning the epidemiology of hemoglobin disorders, the distribution of sickle hemoglobin in Africa and Gabon, the clinical burden of SCD, and the need for accessible diagnostic and monitoring technologies. A conceptual evaluation framework is developed around diagnostic accessibility, analytical performance, operational feasibility, clinical utility, and integration into screening pathways. The literature indicates that the epidemiological and healthcare context of Gabon provides a strong rationale for decentralized SCD detection. However, definitive assessment of Sickle SCAN® requires prospective comparison with an established reference method in representative Gabonese populations. The proposed framework therefore positions Sickle SCAN® as a potentially important component of decentralized screening while emphasizing the need for local validation, quality assurance, confirmatory testing, and appropriate clinical interpretation.