Browsing by Subject "Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC)"

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    The NeoWarm biomedical device: Assessment of feasibility and cultural acceptability, identification of potential barriers and challenges, and stakeholder mapping
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Watts, Thomasina; Siddiki, Furhan; Savita, Aakash
    Introduction: Across the globe, approximately 4 million newborns die each year; complications from hypothermia underlie many of these deaths. Regions with fewer resources for neonatal care have higher rates of hypothermia­related death. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is the practice of prolonged skin­to­skin contact to prevent hypothermia among small and premature infants. KMC is cost effective, and proven to reduce hypothermia; however, KMC programs are often discontinued or fail to expand. A built prototype of a biomedical device, called NeoWarm, has been developed to augment KMC initiatives. Identification of potential barriers and facilitators to adoption the NeoWarm technology is urgently needed. Methods: In order to assess the feasibility of NeoWarm, and to identify current barriers to implementation of KMC and NeoWarm, a comprehensive literature review was conducted. Key barriers and facilitators to existing KMC programs in sub­Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America were identified. Stakeholder mapping and analysis in relation to the NeoWarm device for three “target countries” within each of these global regions was performed. Potential stakeholders were identified and categorically ranked in terms of influence and relevance. Results: Three key barriers to KMC programs were identified. These included: unacceptability among male stakeholders; lack of support from health care providers and insufficient health infrastructure, leading to fears of tuberculosis and other infections spreading in crowded KMC wards. Comprehensive stakeholder mapping for Kenya, India, and Guatemala revealed a complex web of potential influencers and regulatory processes for adoption of NeoWarm technology. Conclusion: The NeoWarm device may support increased acceptance of KMC among male stakeholders and some health care providers; however, the concerns regarding spread of tuberculosis among KMC mother­baby pairs was an unexpected finding, which will significantly inform subsequent NeoWarm development and testing. Stakeholder mapping and analysis revealed many potential NeoWarm partners within each region whom had not been previously identified.
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    NeoWarm: Engineering verification for a built-prototype of a biomedical device to prevent newborn hypothermia
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Moore, Dustin
    Introduction Compared to babies born at full-term, premature and small babies are more susceptible to hypothermia (low body temperature), and more likely to perish, especially in countries with limited resources. One method for keeping babies warm in these settings is Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), in which the mother and baby are in skin-to-skin contact. The NeoWarm project is focused on creating an affordable, effective, and feasible biomedical device that will allow caregivers in resource-limited areas to perform either KMC or use the device in a “stand-alone” mode to prevent hypothermia among vulnerable babies. Methods The NeoWarm project was composed of two teams of students from biomedical engineering (BME) and public health. The primary objective of the BME team was to perform engineering verification of an existing NeoWarm prototype. Methods included: (1) troubleshooting to determine existing functionality of the device; (2) reviewing the previous circuit design; (3) modifying the design to make it more efficient; (4) creating new circuit schematics utilizing revised instrumentation; (5) developing a LED light alarm system, to provide visual confirmation to caregivers of device functioning. The revised schematics were then (6) utilized to build a new circuit which was (7) integrated into the device. Results Successful engineering verification was conducted, and a revised prototype was created which performed crucial device tasks including: (1) continuous body temperature monitoring of the infant while in the device, in both KMC and stand-alone modes; (2) automatic triggering of the heating element when the infant’s body temperature drops; (3) consistent visual feedback as to device readings and functioning mode (e.g., “cold/heating” = blue; “temperature stable” = white; “too hot” = red). Conclusion The NeoWarm prototype is more efficient, effective, and robust. These strides should allow for future progression of the NeoWarm device towards becoming a viable solution to support the health of neonates around the world.