Bao Design Lab is a non-profit consultancy that uses design to improve the well-being of people in parts of the world where resources are scarce. For the past year and a half, Bao has been working with Ugandan partner Technology for Tomorrow (T4T) to address the widespread problem of improper medication delivery to millions of sick children in developing countries.
In many African hospitals, the limited availability and high expense of drugs formulated specifically for children can be prohibitive. As a result, doctors often instruct mothers to split the adult tablets into smaller portions to give to children. This haphazard practice has led to improper medical treatment. Inspired by a nurse who used a soda bottle to crush tablets in paper envelopes, Bao Design Lab worked with T4T to design and prototype a paper-based system that functioned more accurately.