Post Natal Mothers Satisfied and Happy with the Outcomes of their Deliveries after Individualized Precision Maternal Monitoring using3D-Printing Technology in a Maternity Unit in the DevelopingWorld - A Case Study of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching andReferral Hospital in Western Kenya

Abstract

Background: In the low and middle income countries' healthcare system for medicine and surgery training and service provision, the use of computing technologies would be of great help in creating faster and transformational solutions by creating software applications and hardware fabrications for faster diagnosis, which are absent currently, hence leading to efficient treatment interventions in the developing world.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the potential of using computing innovation of 3-D printing technology in producing medical solutions using 3-D printing of fetoscopes to solve the challenge of the frequency of monitoring fetal heart rates in the maternity department.

Methodology: A randomized case-control study was used to analyze the impact of having one fetoscope per mother on shortening the frequency of monitoring of fetal heart rates and promptly intervening in case of non-reassuring fetal status. This was done by 3-D printing fetoscopes increasing the numbers at the Maternity department of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Findings: The frequency of monitoring heart rates increased to hourly instead of 3 hourly in 24 hours, leading to timely interventions, as compared to previous days when there was only one fetoscope serving the whole unit. Mothers with a 3-D printed Fetoscope reported a lower proportion of emergency caesarean section done compared to mothers who were sharing a 3-D printed Fetoscope (13% vs. 38%, P = 0.021 ) No fetal death was reported among mothers with a 3-D printed Fetoscope each, while maternal satisfaction was higher among mothers with a 3-D printed Fetoscope as compared to those who were sharing (94% vs. 63%, P = 0.002)

Conclusion: We concluded that computing technology is useful in designing and fabricating medical equipment and parts, which help save lives in the maternity, emergency room and the operating room in low and middle income countries.