Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

This team proposes to develop and test an innovative microarray patch to deliver a combination of antibiotics for the treatment of neonatal sepsis. An easy-to-use, less-invasive, affordable delivery method for amoxicillin and gentamicin could expand access to lifesaving outpatient antibiotic treatment for infants with severe infection during the neonatal period.

PATH seeks to improve access to improved preeclampsia screening in routine antenatal care (ANC) by addressing the need for a low-cost, accurate proteinuria screening tool to replace the protein-only dipstick as the standard used in routine ANC in LRS. PATH is working in collaboration with LifeAssay Diagnostics, Ltd. (South Africa) to develop and support validation of a simple, low-cost protein-to-creatinine ratiometric urine dipstick test and is seeking to demonstrate the feasibility for implementation and use of the test within routine ANC.

PATH's novel infusion pump, the RELI Delivery System, was designed to address many of the barriers surrounding access to infusion pumps in LRS: it does not require electricity or a battery, is inexpensive to manufacture and operate, does not require expensive consumables, and has a simple user interface. We will develop a functional prototype and related job aids to share with stakeholders.

This project will build and test a prototype application that streamlines and automates patient, provider and payer transactions across the maternal/newborn EOC. The goal is to pilot the application in Liberia, where the government must overcome operational challenges to engage private providers in the Liberia Health Equity Fund.

This project seeks to substantially expand access to oxytocin through the development of an affordable, simple to administer inhaled oxytocin delivery system. Using innovative technology, inhaled oxytocin is formulated as a fine powder that can withstand the climatic conditions common in tropical regions without the need for refrigeration. The product therefore removes the requirement for cold chain supply and storage, potentially allows task-shifting to lower tier healthcare and community workers and has the potential to save 146,000 lives over 8 years.

cStock is an approach to improving the supply of life-saving commodities to community health workers (CHWs) through technology - a mobile health logistics management information and resupply system (cStock) - while improving service delivery and demand generation through change management and system strengthening interventions - quality improvement teams. The approach is designed to make data visible, create a culture of data use, and drive accountability for performance.

The Safer Deliveries project will improve the ability of nurses and midwives to identify danger signs for a woman and her baby during the critical period of labor and delivery and link these measures to specific decision support rules that guide the health worker in taking corrective action.

Preterm babies often suffer from apneas. In low-resource settings where nurses are few, these apneas can often go unnoticed or detected late, which could lead to irreversible injury to the newborn. APNEBOOT is a wearable battery powered boot device, which detects apneas by monitoring blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate. The device sounds and lights an alarm for caretaker attention and stimulates the foot sole to automatically reverse an episode of central apnea.

We will adapt and scale the existing Mobile WACh - a human-computer hybrid communication system, connects women and newborns to care during the most at-risk period, bringing a virtual provider into the home - platform, which has demonstrated efficacy for maternal and child outcomes, to target the problems of neonatal mortality and unmet need for family planning. We will utilize the strengths of our collaborative research partners to evaluate this intervention with plans to scale into electronic medical records (EMR) country-wide.

The NIFTY cup's extended reservoir off the cup lip optimizes efficient milk delivery, and mothers can directly express into the 60-ml cup. The NIFTY cup's soft silicone material protects the infant's mouth from injury. The cup has embossed volume measurements to track intake; is designed to enhance finger and wrist control over milk flow; and is made with quick-drying, UV- and heat-resistant, durable, affordable silicone that can be boiled for sterilization.