Beyond Traditional BordersPhysicians traveling to rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa face a number of challenges. Poor infrastructure and the remote locations of villages prevent medical teams from bringing electronic diagnostic equipment. Additionally, tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria are rampant through segments of the population. A 2007 UNAIDS reported 22.5 million cases of AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since followup visits are difficult, doctors need the tools to make an accurate diagnosis the first time. Collaboration with Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) and Baylor Shoulder to Shoulder physicians provided the background for the design of a portable diagnostic lab in a backpack. The pack aims to aid physicians in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, and Tanzania.
Appropriate Solution
| Lab-in-a-Backpack |
|---|
 |
The original backpack was developed from a prototype designed by bioengineering senior design students and was field tested in Honduras. Our design updates the features and power source of the backpack and includes tools specific to Sub-Saharan Africa. The Lab-in-a-Backpack contains all of the tools necessary for diagnosis of the major health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. These tools are powered either by rechargeable AA and AAA batteries or a rechargeable lithium battery through a power control unit designed by Jenna Hook. Developments made by our students as part of the course BIOE 260: Introduction to Global Health Issues, include a more efficient 100x oil emersion microscope, a centrifuge, and several rapid diagnostic tests. The Lab in a Backpack targets the health issues of rural villages in Sub-Saharan Africa, which have little access to health care . Beyond Traditional Border interns will deliver the backpacks to various clinics in Botswana, Lesotho, Tanzania, Guatemala and Honduras. Furthermore, Dr. Maria Oden, Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum, HHMI, BTB, and the PAC doctors have been pivotal to the implementation of this design.
Current Status
The Lab in a Backpack will be tested based on six criteria: portability, security, cost, durability, physicians’ needs, and convenience. Planned field tests include weighing the Lab in a Backpack, exposing the cover to water, testing portability with student volunteers, calculating costs, and assessing user-friendliness. Additional field testing at the sites will allow reassessment of item durability and relevance. Future groups may re-assign weighted design criteria values to adjust the prototype. Presently, Beyond Traditional Borders spearheads the distribution of the backpacks. The backpacks will impact the public health of rural regions in Tanzania, Botswana, Malawi and Lesotho. On each medical trip, approximately 25 children will be examined. If we assume that the backpack lasts for a year, and that each doctor has weekly trips, each backpack will impact over a thousand children.
