Reflections from Kenya: Enhancing the mSaada App and Empowering Communities

Reflections from Kenya: Enhancing the mSaada App and Empowering Communities

by Nguyên Thảo Thị NguyễnNo Comments
It’s been a year since I first set foot in Kenya, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come back. Last year, I dedicated my time to building an integrated version of the mSaada app, and over the past eight months, we've been piloting this app within the community. The pilot phase is now complete, and this summer we have been working to refine and improve the app based on user feedback in preparation for the cluster randomized controlled trial we’re launching later this year.   While we made some app-specific changes based on user feedback, it became evident that there was a significant need for further educational materials. Indeed, while technology holds great potential, in low-resource settings, the education that accompanies it is essential for successful implementation. Thus, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the SRT students to take the following initiatives this summer in response to the above feedback:   Clarifying HPV Results: Many users needed reassurance that a positive...
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Reflection From the Field: Dr. Thao Nguyen’s Reflections in Kisumu

Reflection From the Field: Dr. Thao Nguyen’s Reflections in Kisumu

by Nguyên Thảo Thị NguyễnNo Comments
In 2021 I had the opportunity to join a start-up that provided support for schools and businesses to safely reopen in the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed an app to support symptom monitoring, created a vaccine navigator program, and collaborated with local organizations to host vaccine clinics in historically marginalized communities. That was the first time I began to dream about what it could mean to center technology within local communities to bridge disparities in healthcare.   When Dr. Huchko offered me the opportunity to join her team to develop a new iteration of a mobile app, I couldn’t have been more excited. Our app, mSaada, is an integrated digital platform that provides support for community health volunteer-led cervical cancer prevention services. It seeks to improve completion of the key steps in the cervical cancer screening cascade by providing patient education and screening reminders, specimen tracking, result management, follow-up support, and treatment scheduling as needed.   I started developing the barebones of the app in...
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