{"id":46348,"key":"Global_Health_Medical_Device_Compendium/PartoPen","title":"Global Health Medical Device Compendium/PartoPen","latest":{"id":1267770,"timestamp":"2026-09-10T14:27:43Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"[[File:Partopen.jpg|thumb]]\n\n{{GHMDC device data\n| health-topic = Maternal mortality\n| classification = Preventative\n| scope = Clinical trial\n| made = No\n| replicated = No\n| manufacturer-location = Colorado, United States\n}}\n\nThe partograph has proven to be the most effective labor monitoring and assessment tool, allowing individuals to accurately detect complications and address them in a timely manner. However, healthcare workers in resource-limited settings are often not trained to utilize and interpret these graphs properly.\n\n== Detailed description of the solution ==\n\nThe PartoPen is a low-cost, interactive digital pen that interprets paper partographs printed with a recognizable background dot pattern. Using internal handwriting recognition and paper-based location awareness, the pen analyzes measurements made on partographs. It can trigger alerts to healthcare workers when it recognizes a need for additional observation or intervention and contains timers that serve as reminders for healthcare workers to take routine, regular patient measurements. It can also provide audio-based instructions on how to use the partograph.\n\n== Designed by ==\n\n* Designed by: The PartoPen was designed by Heather Underwood of The University of Colorado at Boulder, in Boulder, Colorodo, USA.\n* Manufacturer location: Boulder, CO\n\n== When and where it was tested/implemented ==\n\nClinical trials were conducted at the University of Nairobi School of Nursing Sciences, Kenyatta National Hospital, and Pumwani Maternity Hospital in Kenya from June 2012 to August 2012.\n\n== Funding Source ==\n\nThis device has received funding from the following:\n\n* Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Exploration Grant\n* Grand Challenges Exploration Grant\n* ATLAS Institute\n* A National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship\n\n== References ==\n\n=== Peer-reviewed publication ===\n\n* Underwood, H., Sterling, R. S., Bennett, J. K. (2013). The Design and Implementation of the PartoPen Maternal Health Monitoring System. Paper presented at the Third Annual Symposium on Computing for Development, Bangalore, India. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Link available [http://dev2013.org/papers/dev-final41.pdf here].\n* Underwood, H. (2012). PartoPen: enhancing the partograph with digital pen technology. Paper presented at ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Austin, Texas (1393-1398). New York: ACM. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Link available [http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2212461 here].\n\n=== Other internally generated reports ===\n\n* The Partopen: Maternal Health. Developing Countries. Digital Pens. (n.d.). Partopen. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Link available [http://www.partopen.com/index.html here].\n\n=== Externally generated reports ===\n\n* Akolo, J. (2012, August 7). Africa Health: New technology to reduce pregnancy complications. Africa Healthcare IT News. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Link not available.\n* ATLAS Technical Reports. (n.d.). University of Colorado Boulder ATLAS Institute. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Link available [http://web.archive.org/web/20130706035035/http://www.colorado.edu:80/atlas/research/technicalreports.html here].\n* PartoPen. (2013, January 11). Maternova: Tools & Ideas that Save Mothers & Newborns. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Link available [http://maternova.net/health-innovations/partopen here].\n* Were, E. (2012, August 8). Kenya: New Technology to Improve Maternal Health Care at KNH. All Africa. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Link available [http://allafrica.com/stories/201208090105.html here].\n\n{{Page data\n| sdg = SDG03 Good health and well-being, SDG09 Industry innovation and infrastructure\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| language = en\n}}"}