Two medical students from Stellenbosch University (SU) recently participated in a global design initiative aimed at finding solutions to emerging global infectious disease challenges.
A final-year student, Azhar Adam Nadkar, and a fourth-year student, Jessica Davies, took part in the Innovate4Health Global Student Design Sprint, which is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), from November 2020 to the beginning of April 2021, according to Davies. Davies and Nadkar, who are both from the faculty of medicine and health sciences (FMHS), are the first SU students to be chosen for this initiative, stated Nadkar.
Two Stellenbosch University (SU) medical students, Jessica Davies and Azhar Adam Nadkar, were selected to take part in the Innovate4Health initiative. PHOTO: Lara van Zyl
According to the Innovate4Health website, the initiative is a design sprint focused on empowering students within the field of health sciences to take initiative in solving global health problems in health settings and communities.
Davies and Nadkar’s team, CareBots, was one of 30 teams chosen out of the 150 teams that applied for this initiative globally, according to Nadkar. Their project involved a remote-controlled tele-presence robot, known as Quintin Quarantino, that assisted Covid-19 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Tygerberg Hospital, said Nadkar.
Jessica Davies, Dr Henriette Burger and Azhar Adam Nadkar stand with Quintin, the remote-controlled tele-presence robot, in Tygerberg Hospital. PHOTO: Supplied/Wilma Stassen
Quintin “enabled connection between patients and their families for audio and video calls”, said Maryke Hewett, a clinical psychologist who works closely with Quintin.
The service that Quintin provides is currently offered two to three days a week and is facilitated by a clinical psychologist, intern clinical psychologist and psychiatric medical officer, who provide emotional support to families before and after calls, added Hewett.
“I chose this project as I firmly believe that with the guidance of the Innovate4Health global student design sprint facilitators, our team will be able to build on the foundation established at Tygerberg Hospital by Dr [Kerry-Ann] Louw and the Covid-19 support team,” said Nadkar.
Finalist teams usually travel to Geneva in Switzerland and take part in the initiative at the WHO headquarters, according to Davies. However, the initiative was moved online due to Covid-19, she said.
The Clinical Building on Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Tygerberg campus. PHOTO: Lara van Zyl
“The design sprint facilitators guided us through a series of modules,” said Davies. These modules were intended to help students develop their final pitches, with focus on ideation, implementation and advocacy strategies, she said. This involved, “appropriately preparing us to pitch our idea to our local stakeholders in South Africa”, added Davies.
The CareBots team aims to sustain the project even once the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided, as immunocompromised patients who require isolation due to other illnesses may need to get into contact with their loved ones, stated Nadkar and Davies.
“Technology cannot replace traditional healthcare, but [it] can most certainly enhance it. This is what we hope to achieve with this project,” said Nadkar.
Two Stellenbosch University medical students, Jessica Davies and Azhar Adam Nadkar, speak about the selection of their team, CareBots, to take part in the Innovate4Health Initiative. VIDEO: Lara van Zyl