Operation: Opioid GPS - The Plan

The Problem

“Despite approximately 27 million people suffering in pain, more than 150 countries cannot access morphine for patients needing palliative care.”

Source: http://the2x2project.org/developing-palliative-care/

The Basic Idea - mHealth Solution

Create an app/SMS system for which frontline healthcare providers (later, possibly patients) could easily input through a prompt a few simple input data and information relevant to oncological patient support and care. Our product would a few simple inputs such as:

• Patient status requires pain medication (HCP enters a pain level rating numerically out of 10)
• geographic location
• Whether or not the required pain medication is readily available to be administered promptly
• Time required until pain medication can be administered

The app/SMS system would then map in real-time where the geographical location (in the respective developing nation) of where pain medication (opioid/morphine, etc.) is NOT readily available, giving a visual representation of the problem - another way to clearly highlight this problem.
This would allow caregivers and healthcare providers to work backward, perhaps discovering different solutions and alternative ways of administering from different locales. This would be a visual way to clearly highlight this problem and bring it to the forefront of awareness.

Next Steps 

Thinking beyond the scope of this assignment/course, if momentum is garnered, we would be looking to further help resolve the problem - possible app(s)/digital health solution to help facilitate locating/sourcing, delivering the pain medications, and then on to proper use thereof the medication (tracking proper use, providing the healthcare provider/patient with tools on the proper use of the pain medications, etc.).