Introduction
Pneumonia is a leading cause of illness and death for children in Africa. Estimates show that it leads to 750,000 child deaths each year in sub-Saharan African countries (Druetz et al, 20151). In Uganda, a study of the health service data found that the average annual incidence of the infection among under-five year olds between 2013-2021 was 1,127 cases per 100,000 (Wanyana, King and Migisha, 20222).
A key contributor to the high mortality is wrong/missed or late diagnosis, especially in low resource facilities and remote communities. The Government of Uganda implements different approaches to improve early diagnosis and effective treatment, including integrated management of childhood illnesses. However, there is need for more effective diagnostic tools, to ensure caregivers and health workers can detect the illness and take early action.
Using Mama Ope Smart Jacket to improve early diagnosis of pneumonia in children
Emerging technologies such as wearable devices linked via Internet of Medical Things networks offer a means for monitoring of patients and for collecting real-time data on vital signs to help in diagnosis. Taking advantage of this potential, a local company in Uganda has created a wearable device, Mama Ope Jacket, to help improve diagnosis of pneumonia in children, and to transform the care and outcomes for the affected children.
The smart jacket is embedded with a stethoscope and sensors and connected to an android application on a mobile device through Bluetooth (various internet sources3). It is designed to be a non-invasive, wireless diagnostic tool specifically tailored to expedite pneumonia detection in children. The sensors pick up vital signs such as chest sounds, heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature. When the patient wears the jacket, which covers their entire chest, back and sides, the sensors pick up and send the readings the mobile app, which compares the data to a database of set parameters to diagnose pneumonia. The data is displayed on the mobile phone after three minutes of tracking a patient’s vitals, assisting doctors to diagnose pneumonia three to four times faster than when doctors use a normal stethoscope, and eliminating human errors. The technology can also distinguish pneumonia from other infections, based on temperature, sounds exerted by the lungs, and the breathing rate.
The jacket was designed by two Ugandan engineers, Olivia Koburongo and Brian Turyabagye, to assist the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with pneumonia. It is made from a material that minimises the risk of spreading infection when the jacket is shared among patients. While it is not clear if the device has moved beyond clinical trials phase yet, in 2024, the company that owns the design announced that it had secured substantial capital to “refine its technology, expand its reach within Uganda and beyond, and forge strategic partnerships to amplify its impact”4. The jacket can be integrated into routine healthcare to significantly improve patient management and monitoring, and outcomes.
Policy and Regulation Framework
The invention of the Mama Ope jacket fits in well with Uganda’s policy priorities in preventing and managing childhood health problems and applying technology to improve diagnosis and treatment. The National eHealth Strategy (2017-2021) promotes research and the development of innovations and products that can be applied in health services and commercialised on a large scale, including telehealth and mHealth devices. The National Child Policy Implementation Plan (2020/2021-2024/2025) promotes the use of simple mechanisms within communities to support early detection of childhood illness and encouraging prompt care-seeking. Mama Ope jacket also fits in well with the aspirations of the Ministry of Health’s Health Information and Digital Health Strategic Plan (2020/21 – 2024/25), which provides guidance for investments in the digitisation of Uganda’s health information services to improve the quality of care. Development and deployment of digital and technology innovations is regulated through the Digital Uganda Vision policy, to ensure they align with national priorities while protecting data privacy and access to digital skills.
Impact
MamaOpe is intended to be low cost and affordable for all levels of services (Borgen Project online5). In 2022, while still in prototype stage, the innovation was one of the winners in the ASME IShow Awards6, which recognise engineering innovations with potential to vastly improve lives. While studies on its impact on health outcomes are not available, studies on similar devices have found that while they may be limited in application, they have great potential. A similar IoMT rapid diagnosis device for malaria developed in Uganda, the Matiscope, was found to achieve “80 per cent diagnostic accuracy”, suggesting that these kinds of devices can be reliable in the long run (Rolex Awards, online7). The Matiscope device fits onto the index finger and can detect the presence of malaria causing parasites without drawing blood and relay the information to an app to assist the healthcare worker with diagnosis.
Lessons Learnt
MamaOpe and similar devices demonstrate the vital role that they can play in the healthcare services. However, for their full potential to be realised, African countries need to invest and support innovations and promote emerging technologies for health. Securing adequate finances is always a challenge for independent innovators, such as the creators of MamaOpe. It would be helpful if governments set aside funds to support such innovations and move them through the trial phases to full adoption. MamaOpe also currently runs on Android, so it is important for the developers to consider wider interoperability with other operating systems for full adoption in Uganda and beyond.
Conclusion
IoMT devices enable medical professionals to monitor patient health more efficiently. They can lower healthcare costs by improving the accuracy of diagnosis and monitoring treatment. Policymakers in Africa should therefore invest in research and development of low cost IoMT devices that can be tailored to the needs and economic conditions of their local communities.