Method, apparatus and system for detecting and determining comprised reagent pads by quantifying color changes induced by exposure to a hostile environment

A method for diagnosis of a medical condition with an at-home diagnostic instrument, the method comprising:

• capturing a plurality of digital images of at least a test portion of a diagnostic instrument m a periodic manner, wherein the at-home diagnostic instrument includes a color reference having a plurality of reference samples of different colors, at least one test medium having a reagent that changes color in response to being exposed to a biological sample, and at least one contamination detection medium having a reagent that changes color in response to being exposed to a hostile environment;
• comparing colors of the at least one contamination detection reagent medium in the plurality of captured digital images;
• determining if the at least one contamination detection reagent medium has been exposed to a hostile environment prior to the at-home diagnostic instrument being exposed to a biological sample;
• and
• in response to the at least one contamination detection reagent medium being exposed to a hostile environment, alerting a user associated with the at-home diagnostic instrument that the at-home diagnostic instrument has been exposed to the hostile environment and to change to a different at-home diagnostic instrument.

A portable electronic device for analyzing a digital image of an at-home diagnostic instrument, the mobile device comprising:

• at least one processor having a timer;
• at least one display device coupled to the processor;
• at least one camera sensor coupled to the processor;
• and
• at least one computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, the at least one computer-readable medium storing program instructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause the portable electronic device to:
• capture a digital image of at least a portion of an at-home diagnostic instrument with the camera sensor, the diagnostic instrument including at least one color reference with a plurality of reference samples of different colors, at least one test medium having a reagent that changes color in the presence of particular analytes in a biological sample, and at least one contamination detection medium having a reagent that changes color in response to being exposed to a hostile environment;
• identify at least one reference sample of the plurality of samples associated with the at least one contamination detection medium;
• determine a dominant camera-captured color of the at least one reference sample and a dominant camera-captured color of the at least one contamination detection medium;
• color correct the dominant camera-captured color of the at least one contamination detection medium to determine a corrected contamination detection medium color in response to a correction factor derived at least in part from the dominant camera-captured color of the at least one reference sample;
• and
• compare the corrected contamination detection medium color to a predetermined contamination detection medium color to determine if the diagnostic instrument has been exposed to a hostile environment and compromised.