1. Questions

• How can we procure funds?
• What is holding us back/ What is unsustainable about our current method?
• How can we get direct feedback from citizens?
• How can we measure impact?
• How can we ensure long-term impact?
• What is considered sustainable?
• How can we overcome the cultural gap?
• What cultural challenges may threaten the sustainability of our project?
• How can we get locals to use our resources?
• What previous advancements have been made towards sustainable impact?
• How many devices are needed to cover the region/country?
• How will we solve connectivity issues?
• How will we overcome the language barrier?
• Is there a term for “sustainability” in Krio?
• How can we form meaningful bonds with locals?

2. Logistic Model

3. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

Does your work require IRB approvals…right now? At a later stage? If Yes, articulate your detailed IRB strategy. If No, explain why you don’t need IRB approval and identify situations when you might need IRB approval

No, we do not require IRB approval, because of the following reasons:

• No Research Involving Human Subjects: AISHA strives to educate healthcare workers using Alexa, and the interaction is not research-based but rather educational in nature, therefore it doesn’t constitute research involving human subjects. Instead, it could be considered a form of training or knowledge dissemination.
• No Data Collection or Research Data: AISHA doesn’t collect data from participants for research purposes.
• No Risk to Participants: The use of AISHA devices doesn’t pose any risk to the healthcare workers or patients, physically, mentally, or socially, therefore IRB oversight isn’t necessary. This is especially relevant if the information being shared is basic healthcare knowledge and not experimental or potentially harmful.

Based on your life experience, skills, and interests, what would a design process that is both uniquely yours and effective look like?

• Reflection:  What went wrong/ what needs fixing? What are the challenges faced and the solutions to them?
• Brainstorm/Ideate: Solutions to these problems (Translation, case users)
• Research: Research on solutions (power, language)
• Prototype/ troubleshooting: How well does the code work? etc
• Test: Testing and trying to use it at home before implementing it in fieldwork
• Implementation: In fieldwork
• Feedback: from the people using AISHA answers and stakeholders

Identify your three most important stakeholders and list five UNIQUE attributes for each.

• Customer: PHOs in Sierra Leone Makeni (not paying)
  1. Local Expertise: They possess intimate knowledge of the community’s healthcare needs and challenges.\
  2. Resource Constraints: Limited budget and resources available for healthcare initiatives.
  3. Cultural Sensitivity: Understand the cultural nuances and beliefs that may impact healthcare practices.
  4. Government Relations: Interface with local government bodies and navigate bureaucratic processes.
  5. Community Trust: Establish trust within the community through continuous engagement and service delivery.
• Consumer: Medical professionals (nurses) in Sierra Leone
  1. Frontline Experience: Directly involved in patient care and treatment, often facing challenging conditions.
  2. Training Needs: There is a continuous need for training and skill development to keep up with evolving medical practices.
  3. Patient Advocacy: Act as advocates for patients, ensuring their voices are heard in healthcare decision-making.
  4. Resourcefulness: Often work with limited resources, requiring improvisation and creative solutions.
  5. Emotional Resilience: Regularly deal with emotionally taxing situations, requiring strong coping mechanisms.
• Public Health Bureau
  1. Policy Formulation: Responsible for developing and implementing public health policies at a national or regional level.
  2. Epidemiological Surveillance: Monitor disease outbreaks and trends to inform public health interventions.
  3. Resource Allocation: Allocate funds and resources to different health programs based on priority and need.
  4. Collaborative Partnerships: Work with various stakeholders including NGOs, international organizations, and communities.
  5. Health Education: Engage in public health campaigns and educational initiatives to promote healthy behaviors and disease prevention

Identify three ways in which you will validate your project concept, technology, usability and business model. 

• Concept:
  • Has something similar been done successfully?
  • What are we doing differently than projects that failed?
  • How have we grown/has our concept improved?
• Technology:
  • If we can have to develop and publish AISHA Answers 1.0
  • If we can  overcome power and internet access in Sierra Leone
• Usability:
  • If it is being used (number of catches)
  • Final implementation of our device in a clinical environment
• Business model:
  • Is our budget realistic?
  • Will we be able to reach our goal within a certain time frame?
  • If our propositions are measurable?
  • Does it solve a real burning problem?
  • How do they solve the problem now?
  • What financial resources and burdens do they have?
  • How much are customers willing to pay?
  • Is the business economically sustainable? (What are your start-up and recurring costs?)
  • What is your competitive advantage versus other ventures?

Identify 3-5 major accomplishments projected for Spring / Summer 2024:

• Have a reliable base code in English (AISHA 1.0)
• Solve the connectivity + electricity issue
• Acquiring the locals’ trust in the AISHA project
• Procuring funding for the project.

1. Questions

• How can we procure funds?
• What is holding us back/ What is unsustainable about our current method?
• How can we get direct feedback from citizens?
• How can we measure impact?
• How can we ensure long-term impact?
• What is considered sustainable?
• How can we overcome the cultural gap?
• What cultural challenges may threaten the sustainability of our project?
• How can we get locals to use our resources?
• What previous advancements have been made towards sustainable impact?
• How many devices are needed to cover the region/country?
• How will we solve connectivity issues?
• How will we overcome the language barrier?
• Is there a term for “sustainability” in Krio?
• How can we form meaningful bonds with locals?

3. Plan for Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring:

1. Conduct initial assessments to establish the current status of healthcare worker knowledge, adherence to protocols, and patient outcomes in Sierra Leone.
2. Identify and address primary issues within Sierra Leone.
3. Resolve code issues and refine troubleshooting processes.
4. Continuously monitor the utilization of AISHA’s various functionalities (Answers, Lessons).
5. Address power and connectivity challenges.

Evaluation Activities:

1. Increase awareness and comprehension of AISHA among healthcare workers and communities.
2. Enhance access to health education and information for healthcare workers through AISHA Answers and Lessons.
3. Gather initial feedback on the usability and effectiveness of AISHA’s educational content and system features, based on fieldwork experience and direct input.
4. Improve the efficiency of healthcare service delivery and resource management in rural clinics.
5. Strengthen the capacity of healthcare workers to deliver quality care and education to their communities.
6. Ensure the sustainable integration of AISHA into the healthcare system, promoting widespread adoption and continued usage over time.

 

By executing this strategy, the AISHA project can systematically monitor advancements, evaluate the impact, and consistently enhance its initiatives towards realizing its overarching objectives of enhancing healthcare provision in Sierra Leone.

 

1. What SDGs does your project target? What might be reasonable indicators for those SDGs?

•  Good health and wellbeing

• • Indicator 3.1: “By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births”
    • maternal mortality ratio
    • proportion of births attended by Skilled health personnel
  • Indicator 3. c Training of healthcare workforce in developing countries
• 17 Global partnership:
  • Indicator 17.6- enhance access to science, technology, and innovation in developing countries
  • Indicator 17.6.1  Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
• 4 Quality education (healthcare workers) 
  • Indicator 4.c.1 Proportion of teachers(healthcare) with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
  • 4.7.1 Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment
  • 4.4.1 Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill 

The AISHA project aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. The project contributes to SDG 3 by targeting key indicators such as the reduction of the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births (Indicator 3.1). Additionally, AISHA addresses the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel, emphasizing the importance of skilled assistance during childbirth. The initiative extends its impact to SDG 17: Global Partnership, particularly focusing on Indicator 17.6 to enhance access to science, technology, and innovation in developing countries. Moreover, AISHA aims to improve the training of the healthcare workforce in developing countries, aligning with the broader goal of building strong, resilient health systems. In the realm of SDG 4: Quality Education, AISHA contributes by targeting indicators such as the proportion of healthcare teachers with the minimum required qualifications (Indicator 4.c.1) and the extent to which global citizenship education and education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in national education policies and curricula (Indicator 4.7.1). Additionally, the project addresses ICT skills among youth and adults, focusing on the proportion of information and communications technology skills (Indicator 4.4.1). By strategically aligning with these SDGs and corresponding indicators, AISHA aims to make a meaningful impact on health, education, and global partnerships in Sierra Leone.

 

 2. Crystallize the larger challenge your venture seeks to address, the specific problems you are targeting, and the kinds of opportunities you hope to leverage.

• Grand Challenge: Ineffective healthcare practices that lead to preventable deaths., specifically maternal health, preeclampsia
• Megatrend: Rise of AI, technology, peer platform, digitalization  
• Dream at what context: using the existing device (Alexa) to help educate local healthcare workers to comply with healthcare protocols and to communicate in both English and Krio. 
• Specific problem: Community health workers do not get proper education due to not having proper access to healthcare education; compliance to healthcare protocols 
• Specific opportunities: Everyone can access AISHA on their cell phones; able to process huge datasets, available in any language, able to answer complex questions and describe complex procedures
• Specific actionable opportunities: Alexa devices can be implemented in facilities (Internet access is getting easier, the rise of AI, conversational culture, Alexa technology), and healthcare workers can ask simple questions

 

The venture addresses the grand challenge of ineffective healthcare practices leading to preventable deaths, with a specific focus on maternal health and preeclampsia. In the context of the rising megatrend of AI, technology, peer platforms, and digitalization, the dream is to utilize existing devices, such as Alexa, to educate local healthcare workers, ensuring compliance with healthcare protocols and facilitating communication in both English and Krio. The specific problem being tackled is the lack of proper education for community health workers due to limited access to healthcare education resources, leading to non-compliance with healthcare protocols. The opportunities lie in the accessibility of AISHA through cell phones, its ability to process vast datasets, its availability in multiple languages, and the capacity to answer complex questions and describe intricate medical procedures. Actionable opportunities include the implementation of Alexa devices in healthcare facilities, leveraging the increasing ease of internet access, the growing prevalence of AI, the emerging conversational culture, and the advanced technology of Alexa. Healthcare workers can easily pose simple questions, enhancing their knowledge and adherence to protocols.

 

3. Identify the two most important social, economic, and environmental bottom lines that matter to your project.

1. 1. Social
      1. healthcare education and quality 
      2. Community empowerment and education 
   2. Economic
      1. Bring an innovative application of a cheap device that contributes to filling a gap created primarily by economic disparity
      2. Effective resource management in healthcare 
      3. Economic empowerment through education
   3. Environmental
      1. Technology-Driven Environmental Impact
      2. Language Accessibility and Inclusivity
   4. Purpose 
      1. Improving healthcare practices.
      2. Innovating and applying machine learning to healthcare practices

 

4. Describe ten cultural factors that might impact your project at various phases in its lifecycle.

1. 1. Language Barrier
   2. Lack of trust 
   3. Limited technology literacy
   4. Traditional Beliefs and Practices
   5. Limited access to the internet
   6. Conversational vernacular may cause a disconnect between ai and user
   7. Healthcare stigma 
   8. Community participation 
   9. Gender Dynamics in Sierra Leonean culture
   10. Culture of community decision making