SONORE : Design for improving maternal health in Morocco

Abstract

This project started with an inequitable health problem and mismatched solutions in developing countries. Maternal health inequality still remains an unfinished significant problem within and between countries. In 2015, approximately 99% (302,000) of maternal deaths occurred in developing countries. Moreover, many mothers in developing countries experience bad health conditions after pregnancy. Morocco is a country located in the region of North Africa, and its most critical problem is economic and regional inequality. Due to these inequalities, maternal health in Morocco is even worse than in Bangladesh and Iraq, which have similar economic states. Many trials have been executed for improving maternal health, but mismatched problem solving and many limitations around healthcare environment have interrupted it. Therefore, the aim of this project is to understand the actual problems behind maternal health problems in Morocco and construct a design that will provide a real impact. To achieve this objective, field research in Morocco was conducted for two weeks (July 13–26th, 2016). I conducted five in-depth interviews with people in various positions related to maternal health. Two observations were conducted in a health center and a public hospital to study the medical environment available to pregnant woman, and I also had the chance to study the living environment of the Moroccan people. After gathering all the data from the field research, I organized it as problems that were commented on in the interviews or observed and then started the analysis. Every problem either caused or was affected by other problems, which provided a problem network. Networks were grouped as 15 problem chains, including reactions to emergency situations, missing proper timing of treatment and quality of care as the final problems of the problem chains. Among the problem chains, I tried to determine the problem that would be most affected by a design solution. As a result, “missing the proper time of treatment” was decided upon as the most adaptable problem to solve in this project. Because most sub-problems in this problem chain are connected with the issue of maternal education, this project’s direction was to develop maternal education materials. First, I identified the specific context and environment of Morocco that was connected to maternal education. A high illiteracy rate for women, language differences within the country and limited consultation times were determined to be important factors. Therefore, to make material accessible for every pregnant woman in Morocco, it needs to contain certain specifications like voice and visual information, essential content, and so on. Based on this consideration, a new concept was generated that integrates a pregnancy diary and sound book. The pregnancy diary contains various content related to the mother’s and baby’s health. However, most of this content is written, so if the information is delivered as it is in a child’s sound book, more pregnant women in Morocco will have access to necessary content. Therefore, this material consists of two main parts. One part is an audio device that conveys information, and the second is a pregnancy guidebook. When a woman has questions or complications, she can check the contents of the guidebook by placing it on the device and pushing the icon for each illustration. However, pregnancy is only 40 weeks long, so this material is useful for only a certain amount of time. Therefore, this material has a certain service flow that health workers supply at the woman’s first consultation, and woman will return it after delivery. Then, other pregnant women can use it for their pregnancies. The language setting of the device changes depending on each woman’s language, and the guidebook also is in the 3 languages that are used in Morocco. The exterior design displays general images of Morocco, and an obstetric doctor advised on the composition of the content. The prototype’s progress occurred in 3 parts: a functional board fabrication, a book, and an exterior. As a result, a functional prototype was completed. The evaluation was performed by obtaining opinions from various people related to maternal health. There are also some limitations on this project, and it can be further developed. Based on these reflections, the maternal education material called “Sonore” is expected to positively impact Moroccan maternal health.