Improving maternal health care of vulnerable women

Access to quality healthcare can prevent maternal deaths around childbirth

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This project is now archived and was part of DDW22

This project is part of
Embassy of Health

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Caring for pregnant women is a global challenge, but the focal points and difficulties vary by country and region. Two emphatically context-specific solutions contribute to improving health care for vulnerable pregnant women with limited access to care.

Context-specific solutions

For the Netherlands, the Pregnancy Risk Flagging System was developed. With this digital patient app for reporting pregnancy symptoms, linked to an algorithm and clinical dashboard, healthcare professionals can detect pregnancy risks early and intervene timely. The low-tech High Risk Pregnancy Toolkit focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa. Maternity cards help identify risks more easily and stimulate awareness on healthy pregnancies. In addition, the kit includes a double-headed fetoscope and a Leopold Maneuvre manual that allows midwives and traditional birth attendants to better diagnose high-risk pregnancies, even without electricity or the internet. The fetoscope also promotes regular check-ups through an improved experience for pregnant women.

Mindset: agile, responsible and learning

Complex global challenges - such as improving maternal health - require a flexible and collaborative mindset. Each environment places requirements on a design and each context has unique characteristics that require mutual curiosity and understanding.