After completing the site visits to both Malamulo and Mulanje, I have really learned that communication is very important for building long lasting relationships. As Brighton and I walked around the hospitals observing different aspects of the wards, we found that we received the most information when we asked the nurses to talk to us or asked for access to the Operating Theater.

We specifically had a wonderful time at Mulanje with a nurse from the Operating Theater. She allowed us to go inside and asses their equipment and talked to us for at least an hour about her experience at the hospital and specific information about the equipment used. Fostering the relationships at the hospitals will help us get feedback later on about our designs and hopefully allow for more partnerships in the future with Rice and the Polytechnic.

The site visits to Malamulo and Mulanje Mission Hospitals really opened my eyes to everyday challenges that the hospitals face. For example, the Operating Theatre is relatively far away from the Nursery. This means that if a mother undergoes a C-Section and the baby needs to be transferred to the nursery, they are exposed to the outside world for at least a couple minutes before being in a warm, temperature-controlled environment again. While the little exposure does not seem like much, it could cause a lot of damage to a premature baby already suffering from hypothermia. The hospitals already have blankets and foil wrappers in place to try to keep the baby warm during transit, but I feel as though more can be done to help. This is why I love that the summer we are not only worrying about oxygen concentrators, but hypothermia as well. Without our conversation with the nurse at the Operating Theater, I probably would not have realized that transferring the baby was still a challenge that needs addressing.