DESIGN OF A LOW-COST AUTOCLAVE FOR DEVELOPING WORLD HEALTH CLINICS

摘要

Incidence of surgical site infection is 2-5 times higher in developing nations as compared to developed nations. A low-cost, easy to use autoclave was designed to address the unique technical, behavioral, and market challenges present in rural, health posts of the developing world. A thorough stakeholder analysis was performed very early in the design process to address non-technical needs for sustained user adoption as well as manufacturability and scalability. Twelve partnering clinics in Nepal trialed these autoclaves from July until December 2012. Usage statistics and follow-up observations highlight important factors for successful adoption. These findings were used to improve the autoclave design. The goal of this paper is to detail a case study and methodology to incorporate multiple stakeholder needs into the early design process.