Improving Healthcare Outcomes in Africa with At-Home Technology

NeoMita Aims to Minimize Misdiagnosis and Increase Healthcare Accessibility and Affordability for Rural Populations in Africa

Honor & Recognitions

Read the mentioned article that is published on Institute of Design’s website.

EMPOWER all age of people
WHO live in rural African communities
TO improve diagnosis accuracy and healthcare outcomes.

“ This project taught me that design needs to consider the real needs and constraints of users.”

Client Vision

Neoguard is a 4-in-1 vital sign monitor for health facilities with limited resources. It accurately measures pulse rate, respiratory rate, SpO2, and temperature in babies, transmitting data to a tablet for continuous monitoring by healthcare providers. Neopenda aims to expand Neoguard's distribution across Africa.

“We expect affordable, innovative medical technologies for emerging markets.”

-Teresa Cauvel, CTO, Neopenda

Source:Neopenda

The MISSION

The solution should be more adjustable and suitable for different age groups and body locations.
The solution should be applicable in various contexts, such as hospitals, spot-checking in primary-level clinics, and home-based care.

Problem Space

Nearly Half of Africa Left Behind: High Costs and Poor Infrastructure Limit Access to Healthcare

According to a report by the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC), currently, less than half of the African population (48 percent) has access to the healthcare services they need. This is due to challenges such as high costs for healthcare, inadequate infrastructures, and poorly managed health sector resources.

70%

medical equipment sits idle in African health facilities or ends up in equipment graveyards.

2 hrs

is the average time patients live in rural areas commute to general hospitals.

43%

of deaths in Africa coming from Non-communicable diseases

52%

African population do not have access to the healthcare services they need

User Barriers

As a result, local pharmacies have become the first entry point for most of the population, leading many to go "pharmacy hopping" to get needed medication.

We examined prevalent illnesses in Africa and interviewed students from Ghana and Nigeria to understand their perspectives on healthcare experiences in their countries.
Due to the long distances from home to hospitals, high out-of-pocket charges from hospitals and doctors, as well as medical resource shortages that increase waiting times and decrease availability, local pharmacies have become the first entry point for healthcare in most areas.

Even with local healthcare efforts, people in rural areas still suffer from various major health problems, and a single-product approach is not enough to address these issues.

Limited accessibility to necessary medications causes mortality, low medication adherence, and the need for pharmacy hopping even for mild symptoms, resulting in delayed recovery and increased mortality for non-communicable diseases, ultimately leading to increased health risks and poorer overall health outcomes.

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How might we develop affordable, feasible & accessible healthcare solutions?

Let’s chat & connect ✨✨