Confirmation that HemoCue's urine albumin system provides cost effective, laboratory quality analysis at the point of care is contained in a recently published MHRA evaluation.
At £1.75 for each microalbuminuria screen, HemoCue represents excellent value for money and is almost half the cost of the nearest alternative.
The comprehensive evaluation of 'Point of care devices for the quantitation of microalbuminuria' was carried out by the Device Evaluation Service (DES) which provides independent and objective evaluations of medical devices available in the UK.
Several analysers for measuring urine albumin concentrations were included in the report which details all aspects of service, performance and cost.
Microalbuminuria is a common and serious complication of Type 2 diabetes and is the earliest sign of renal or cardiovascular damage - when no other physical signs are present.
If detected, treatment is often successful in preventing further deterioration of renal function.
Regular screening is crucial to effective management of the disease and both the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) and the National Services Framework (NSF) for diabetes stipulate six monthly screening of all diabetic patients.
The HemoCue Urine Albumin analyser requires 15ul of spot or timed urine and displays results in just 90 seconds.
Easy to use and simple to maintain, it has been specifically designed to meet the requirements for routine screening of microalbuminuria in any point of care or primary setting.
