The Hb estimation of blood donor is the only laboratory test performed prior to blood donation and is of paramount importance. The main objective of our study was to compare the efficacy of the three common haemoglobin estimation methods, namely, CuSO4 method, HemoCue photometer & Automated Cell Counter in reporting the haemoglobin levels of blood donors. This prospective study was conducted on 500 random voluntary non-remunerated altruistic blood donors over a period of 3 months. Copper sulphate results were interpreted as pass or fail, digital readings were obtained for the other two methods. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of each method was calculated. Hb screening by CuSO4 is an inexpensive and convenient method to be used as for primary screening, supplemented with HemoCue for donors rejected by CuSO4.
