OWSD Early Career
2023
Leo Judith
About the project
Her research project will develop a quick, cost-effective bedside tool using AI and embedded systems for quick and precise detection of non-functional oxytocin, in order to prevent the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in women following childbirth. Approximately 303,000 women and adolescent girls die every year due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth, with 99% of these deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. PPH after childbirth is the leading cause of maternal death, accounting for 27% of all maternal death worldwide and approximately 30% to 50% of maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization recommends injection with oxytocin immediately after birth as an effective means of preventing PPH. While oxytocin is affordable in most of sub-Saharan Africa, it must be kept at 2-8 degrees Centigrade and is often not stable in normal working environments, particularly at lower-resourced health facilities where many deliveries take place. There is no currently available device to detect the condition of oxytocin in sub-Saharan Africa and Africa at large. The bio-digital tool developed under this project will use AI and embedded systems technologies to detect the functionality or non-functionality of oxytocin in real clinical settings.
Field of Specialization
Position
Lecturer and Researcher
About the institution
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST)
Department of Information and Communication Science and Engineering (ICSE)
