Medical Devices in Global Health:
Idea to Implementation, Successes and Challenges

5.05.2009 "Car Part" Incubator Design Philosophy and Project Update Tim Prestero: CEO, Design that Matters

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Medical Devices in Global Health: Idea to Implementation, Successes and Challenges

Many multinational companies manufacturing medical devices for developing countries focus their efforts on high-end products too expensive to be used in most healthcare settings.  Unable to afford their own equipment, healthcare providers in areas with few resources often receive donated equipment from international organizations.  Unfortunately, while this donated equipment is usually state-of-the-art, it often ends up falling into disrepair and eventually disuse.  Donors with the best of intentions fall into the trap of donating equipment that the recipient cannot afford to maintain.  Just as most of us would like to own a Ferrari but would be unable to pay for its upkeep, most clinics in resource-poor areas cannot afford to maintain expensive devices, such as incubators, designed for use in developed countries.   

Designing sustainable medical devices for resource-poor areas is challenging and requires great attention to detail.  Most projects involve many stakeholders, each of whom could put an end to the project if he or she so chose.  To ensure that a device is manufactured and used in the way intended, one must make certain that incentives align for all the people involved in the project.  Observing the needs of the end user firsthand is crucial to designing a product that will be used in a sustainable manner.  One’s goal should always be to design a product that will fail as soon as possible if it is going to fail.
            With these thoughts in mind, a number of engineers are building a neonatal incubator out of car parts.  State-of-the-art incubators are often donated to clinics in developing countries, but when these incubators break, the clinics usually have no way of repairing them.  The car-part incubator, on the other hand, is made out of car parts that are easily replaceable in most areas of the world.  These incubators are built to be easy to transport from place to place, and they will hopefully become a sustainable part of healthcare delivery in developing countries. 

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