A Prenatal Wearable Medical Device
Client needs: “to connect with someone that has a soul and is willing to peer deeply into” this humanitarian and medical device project, one who is “a consultant/collaborator who knows his/her way around the [apparel] industry.”
Phase 1 – Pre-Trials
My role in it’s first phase was to collaborate with the team of doctors and engineers to aid in moving forward their research project by innovating a wearable device that could help with reducing low birth weights and still-birth, in the developing countries. In it’s second phase, to help imagine and map out a service/business where this product could be manufactured and sold to the public.
It has been an amazing journey so far. Jointly, this project team was awarded with a $100k grant from Grand Challenges Canada to carry out the design, development, and research studies. I’m partnered with the two leads of the project (one a medical engineer and the other an OBGYN), where we collaborate in ideation and I provide some fast prototyping to flush out ideas as well as full product management (costing, production feasibility, resources, etc.). Final ready-for-use products were manufactured locally to be used in various clinical trials for testing while aiding in the clinical research studies.
Post Trials
These were the findings: “we have demonstrated feasibility of introducing the PrenaBelt to pregnant women in an antenatal care setting by midwives and of use throughout the third trimester since participants were overall pleased with their experience using the PrenaBelt”
For further info:
http://www.girhl.org/stillbirth_lowbirthweight/
http://dalmedghi.tumblr.com/post/109443731128/emerging-faces-in-global-health-allan-kember
Research Findings published on BMJ Open:
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/4/e022981.full
“demonstrated feasibility of introducing the PrenaBelt to pregnant women in an antenatal care setting by midwives and of use throughout the third trimester since participants were overall pleased with their experience using the PrenaBelt.”
Performed:
- Research of analogous products, user needs, user challenges, clinical trial challenges and needs.
- Review existing rough prototype
- Redefine design brief
- Sourcing materials
- First Prototyping – in-house
- Materials ordering, logistics
- Fit Test and Re-evaluation
- Design iteration
- Sample production sourcing – small batch
- Sample production management with local factories
- Coordinating shipping to Clinical Trial Destinations – Australia, Ghana, and Halifax, Canada.