App/Software

Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) account for 15% South Africa's (SA) institutional maternal mortality ratio of 154/100000 live births, the third highest cause after non-pregnancy related infections (35%) and hemorrhage (16%). The main obstetric problems are eclampsia, severe hypertension, HELLP syndrone and liver rupture, with eclampsia being the most common cause of mortality. Maternal deaths due to HDP have been found to be preventable in 67% of reported cases. (NCCEMD Report Ref 1).

We propose a system-intervention targeting the critical but neglected process of ‘transport’ of critically ill neonates and infants from basic units to tertiary care centers. Neonatal & infant mortality rates remain high in LMIC. Advanced neonatal ICUs and surgical facilities are few and far-between. Access is further limited by distances, late referrals, poor communication, & logistics of transport, besides financial compulsions. Conditions requiring transport range from basic neonatal problems e.g. prematurity and sepsis, to life threatening congenital lesions (e.g.

Khushi Baby (KB) is a wearable mHealth platform tracking maternal & child health to the last mile. Our mission is to reduce infant and maternal mortality due to vaccine-preventable diseases in India. Our system is comprised of a culturally tailored NFC necklace, which digitally stores immunization & health records for pregnant mothers and children; the necklace interfaces with a mobile app to update records with a simple tap. The data is synced to a dashboard for health officials to manage care delivery resources.

Routine childhood immunization (RCI) in Pakistan is well below the recommended coverage of 90% with rates as low as 16% in certain regions (Pakistan DHS 2012-3). This has led to continued polio transmission, large measles outbreaks and thousands of deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases (Kazi.Bull WHO 2016). Mobile phone communication is widespread in developing countries, and has proven a potential method in directly connecting pregnant women and mothers to health services (Kharbanda. Expert Review of Vaccine 2014).

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a condition that occurs in approximately 10- 18% of women following the birth of a child, and is a critical risk to new mothers and their babies. Research show that support programs are effective in assisting women manage and overcome their PPD. ParentUp is a mobile phone service which aims to provide informational and emotional support from pregnancy until a child’s early years, and can also be used by new dads. Through the Short Messaging System (SMS) channel, new parents will opt-in to receive information and mothers may be screened for PPD.

Our project aims to develop an innovative low-cost and effective solution to maternal mental health problems in the context of pregnant youth living in adverse conditions in urban areas of a megacity. We plan to develop Motherly, a smartphone app to promote maternal mental health and child development. Motherly app will be visually appealing and provide an engaging user experience with minimalistic layout, enhancing participant engagement.

A dynamic, integrated health worker communication and coordination system called ‘mHero’ provides tools to help countries tackle the core communication gaps present in Ebola affected communities, providing a trusted channel of information and support for frontline health workers. Through mHero’s multi-partner collaborative approach and inherent interoperability with other critical technologies, national health leaders can use basic mobile phone technology to communicate and coordinate with the health workers and public health officials on the frontlines of care.

CommCare is an open source mobile platform that supports a range of Ebola management needs, including screening, triage, diagnostics, lab tracking, contact tracing, and map-based visuals – all to help ease the communication burden and disconnect currently experienced on the ground in Ebola affected countries. This intervention is standard-based and provides open source mobile applications that will be inter-operable with related tools and systems.

A partnership with IBM will launch an innovative community engagement platform that facilitates two-way communication between public health officials and citizens using basic mobile phones. Unlike many traditional approaches that are only one-directional, from public health officials to citizens, this novel approach closes the feedback loop and generates real-time, on-the ground information about public perceptions and community needs.