zCare: Designing a Mobile Application to Support Caregivers of Patients with Congenital Zika Syndrome

摘要

Since the first case of Zika virus infection was reported in Brazil in 2015, more than 3000 cases of microcephaly have been diagnosed. Microcephaly caused by the Zika virus infection leads to Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS), a condition that results in developmental, motor, and visual impairments. CZS is a lifelong condition that requires continuous care and specialized assistance. Multiple healthcare services are necessary to provide patients with the multidisciplinary support needed. In addition to that, caregivers must receive information and training. The medical services in the regions affected by CZS are neither sufficient nor qualified to properly serve all patients. Besides this, healthcare services are expensive, and most patients live in economically-disadvantaged contexts. Still, the access to mobile phones is widespread across socio-economic classes in Brazil. Thus, to assist the patients, we designed zCare - a mobile health application that provides a low-cost informational tool to assist and instruct caregivers of patients with CZS. A human-centered mixed-method approach was employed in the design phase, combining social media analytics, interviews, surveys, observation and participatory design.