We tackled the challenge of neonatal hypothermia from two sides. The first side involved designing a few different monitoring systems to alert physicians and nurses of a neonate’s thermal condition (hypothermic, normal, or hypothermic). The second side was to look into a device that was built by last year’s interns.

Last year’s interns had built a device known as the Chitenje Warmer, a device meant to warm chitenjes (cotton blankets brought into the hospital by expectant mothers). Typically, once the baby was delivered, it was placed on the mother’s chest so that the mother’s body would warm the neonate. This warming technique was known as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). The reason this device was made was because mothers who underwent c-sections didn’t have the strength to provide KMC to their neonates. The Chitenje Warmer was meant to act as an indirect substitute for KMC.

Last year, the team was able to build their device, but they weren’t able to implement it in Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH). That’s where we came into the picture. We had to figure out why this device wasn’t being used in the hospital. At the same time, we looked into the device’s efficacy.