Helpdesk Stories
One of the most significant drivers of maternal deaths in Kenya is low care seeking behavior, a factor stemming from the fact that many new and expectant mothers do not have access to accurate information to inform them of where to seek care, and when. Delays in seeking care can have a significant impact on a woman’s path from pregnancy to postpartum, which is why Jacaranda’s AI-enabled digital health platform PROMPTS is set up to inform and empower women with knowledge at every stage of their maternity journey.
At the heart of PROMPTS is a dynamic clinical helpdesk team, responsible for answering up to 3,000 questions a day from mums. Expectant mothers might ask ‘can I drink tea and coffee when pregnant?’, or ‘how should I prepare the house for a baby?’. Others might ask questions that could be warning signs for complications ahead; ‘I’m bleeding - what should I do?’. These sorts of questions are flagged via machine learning to the helpdesk who, within one hour, are able to talk directly with the mum, and refer her to urgent care if needed.
We are proud to hear stories like the accounts below - they make our mission all the more tangible.
Machakos County… One morning in June, a Jacaranda helpdesk agent received a SMS from Machakos county; “I’m feeling pain around the lower part of my stomach and thick discharge is coming out. Could this be labour pain?”. The message had been flagged for urgency via PROMPTS Natural Language Processing (NLP), and the helpdesk team immediately put in a call, taking time to explain the labour process, and what to look out for when the baby was coming.
Our dialogue with this mother did not stop here. Five days later the same mum reached out with the news that her baby had been successfully delivered, but she was experiencing residual pain in the lower abdomen, reaching right around to her spine. The helpdesk team quickly responded with a message of reassurance, explaining that postpartum pain is often caused by debris left in the womb after birth which, as it comes out, can often lead to cramps.
By combining instruction with information around why mothers might experience pain, Jacaranda is equipping women to recognize future maternity concerns, and seek care at the right time. ‘This interaction has been great’, explains the mother. ‘Through PROMPTS, I was able to learn both the danger signs and labor signs, and I’m pleased to have had a successful birth’.
Nairobi County… In mid May this year, Jacaranda’s helpdesk received a worrying message. At eight weeks, a mother in Nairobi was in her final stages of pregnancy, and had begun to notice spots of blood and a strange colour to her discharge. “I keep seeing dark discharge and it looks like it is mixed with blood.'' explained the mother over SMS. ‘Is this a problem?’. Recognizing this immediately as a danger sign, the helpdesk team called the mother, explaining vaginal bleeding and irregular discharge was not normal - and that she should seek urgent care in the nearest hospital.
Closing the feedback loop is a critical part of Jacaranda’s work, ensuring both the continued safety of the mother, as well as identifying facilities that might not be providing adequate care. A couple of days after the initial call, our helpdesk followed up with the mother to check how she was doing, and on the quality of care she had received. ‘I followed your advice and got medical care’, explained the mother. ‘I’m glad I got this checked out, and they were able to manage my bleeding successfully.’ Two months later, the Jacaranda team were pleased to hear the news that she had delivered a healthy baby boy.
Studies have found that 91% of women would seek care at health facilities if they knew and recognized severe pregnancy and postpartum danger signs. Empowering women with knowledge is critical. By giving them a voice in the health system, Jacaranda are helping spot indications of potential danger to mums ahead of time, and provide advice and reassurance in the weeks after delivery.