Technology improving staffing capacity
Another technological solution tackling staffing needs as well as the quality of maternal care is the Safe Delivery App, developed by Maternity Foundation, Copenhagen University, and the University of Southern Denmark with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and MSD for Mothers.
A smartphone tool, the Safe Delivery App offers video tutorials and step-by-step narration of procedures related to sexual, reproductive, and maternal care and also sends push messages that act as reminders for users to keep learning. It can be used in a training environment as well as on the wards. So far it has been downloaded 110,000 times worldwide, and is being used in around 40 countries.
Preview of Safe Delivery mobile application's interface and tutorials.
Ruth Maithya, a lecturer at Nairobi’s Amref International University, was a practicing midwife for three years and now teaches reproductive and maternal education to students fresh from high school, as well as to qualified nurses looking to expand their skill base. She uses the Safe Delivery app as part of her teaching and encourages students to use it beyond the classroom and in their day-to-day work.