After a night of relatively early sleep following a demanding day, our team gathered their energy for an eventful day ahead. We arrived at World Hope with a clear objective – to connect with Amara Kamara, our previous translator, and discuss his concerns about translating for us due to his limited clinical experience and availability. Understanding his reservations, we learned that he had arranged for a suitable replacement, Rhandolph Alusine Tholley. Rhandolph brought a wealth of clinical experience from his time at Holy Spirit Hospital and a list of health units primed for technology demonstrations.
Our meeting with Rhandolph started with an overview of our project’s goals and the technology we’re developing. Rhandolph’s enthusiasm was palpable, and he eagerly participated in our demonstration of the AISHA Answers skill. Despite initial difficulties stemming from accents, background noise, and network inconsistencies, Rhandolph’s persistence led to a successful demonstration. A moment of amusement arose when Rhandolph’s surprise at Alexa’s greeting “Hi there” sparked laughter among us.
A significant highlight was our discussion about the potential integration of Krio translation through Lehigh’s AWS Administration domain clearance and the Google Translate API. Rhandolph’s excitement and affirmation underscored the potential impact on accessibility, cultural acceptance, and overall functionality of our technology. This underway development ignited hope and renewed determination within the team.
Overcoming technical hurdles has been a consistent theme throughout fieldwork thus far. Connectivity issues with the hotspot network impacted Alexa’s performance, as computing tasks are abruptly halted after eight seconds. Moreover, increasing the flexibility of the technology relative to the speech patterns of our users has proven difficult. Grateful for insights from Sterling Salmini of the Ukweli/Cervical Cancer team, we discovered a setting in the Alexa app that could potentially address this issue, though more testing is necessary to confirm this.
After a demonstration and team debrief, the team was eager to make visits to the units that Rhandolph supplied in his list. Accompanied by Rhandolph, Omar, Elif, and Eric ventured to Makeni LOL PHU and Makolor CHP. At Makeni LOL, initial hesitations among nurses were replaced with excitement after introducing our technology. Despite limited internet access hindering the demonstration, the nurses expressed keen interest in future interactions. The initial reluctance of Makolor CHP’s workers softened after clarifying our purpose and Rhandolph communicating that he is also an alum of the same nursing school they attended. Though technical limitations prevented a practically successful demonstration, valuable feedback and connections were received and made. The field team highlighted the importance of coordinating with the District Medical Officer (DMO) so the workers will not think we are there to supervise or collect data on the DMO’s behalf. Coordination with the DMO will help them feel much more comfortable with our visitation upon arrival.
While the field team carried out site visits, the rest of the team remained actively engaged. Zavier optimized AISHA Answers to minimize task-quitting errors, while Aabi worked on organizing a meeting with Lehigh University Library and Technology Services (LTS) office so we can gain admin access to Lehigh’s AWS domain. Sofía and Zavier refined Rhandolph’s translator contract, and Sofía and Rachel crafted a visual flipbook showcasing our device’s capabilities.
After a long day of work, the team packed up and left World Hope International and was off to indulge in dinner. The heavy rainfall showed no sign of subsiding as the team left dinner and packed into, and onto the bed of, a World Hope pickup truck. Omar, Zavier, Eric, and Tiffany were at the mercy of downpour through the ride home. They got very wet but it was a very fun experience.
This day showcased the synergy of our team’s diverse talents and shared commitment to revolutionizing medical access. Challenges were met with innovation, and connections forged were a testament to our dedication. As we navigate technical and administrative challenges, the horizon of possibilities continues to expand. With our new WordPress website in development and various paths underway, we eagerly anticipate the positive impact our technology will have on healthcare accessibility and quality in Sierra Leone.
Team Highlights
Rachel → Making progress on the visual flipbook, and getting the design and content finished.
Zavier → Taking lead author on a fieldwork blog for the first time.
Elif → Being able to see the excitement on the face of the nurses when we showed and explained the capability of our project.
Sofía → Getting a new translator and knowing he has clinical experience.
Eric → Going to Makeni LOL PHU and seeing the smiling faces of the nurses and children.
Omar → Sitting in the bed of the truck with Zavier, Eric, and Tiffany, and getting drenched by the heavy rain.
Aabi → Closing in on figuring out the hosting and backend strategy.
Average rating of the team’s day: 3.02/5