Submitted
2020 Health Security & Pandemics

Intuica

Team Leader
Gabriella Paniccia
Solution Overview
Solution Name:
Intuica
One-line solution summary:
Novel referral platform for users to communicate their symptoms from the safety of their own home, and to get directed to a treatment centre
Pitch your solution.

The most vulnerable populations across Africa live very far from hospitals and when an individual experiences Covid-19 symptoms, their only option is to travel a significant distance to a health post. Once there, they may be referred to another healthcare facility to receive the appropriate level of care, thereby requiring even more traveling. All of these journeys can create multiple points of contact, spread the virus, but they are also time-intensive, exhausting for ill individuals, and are anxiety-inducing.    

Intuica is a multichannel communication platform for users to easily communicate their symptoms (via SMS, WhatsApp, or calling) and get directed to an appropriate treatment centre, all in the comfort and safety of their own home.  A Geographic Information System (GIS), is also integrated to  visualize cases as well as displays the availability of healthcare facilities. Most importantly, this solution is scalable post-Covid-19 for other disease outbreaks globally.

Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?

The most vulnerable populations across Africa live very far from university-level teaching hospitals and when an individual experiences Covid-19 symptoms, their only option is to travel to the nearest health post to get some answers (i.e. if they have Covid-19, where they should go to next, etcetera). Oftentimes, individuals must still travel a significant distance to reach one of these health posts. Furthermore, once an individual reaches a health post, they may be referred to another healthcare facility to receive the appropriate level of care, thereby requiring even more travelling. This suggested healthcare facility may not even have the capacity to take on additional patients, resulting in an ill and potentially contagious individual being redirected to another facility. Not only do all these journeys have the potential to create multiple points of contact, thereby spreading the virus, but they are also time-intensive, exhausting for ill individuals, and are anxiety-inducing. On a final note, an individual may not even get the care that they need because they want to avoid the hassle of having to travel to even just communicate their symptoms at a health post.

What is your solution?

Intuica is a multichannel communication platform for users to easily communicate their symptoms and get directed to an appropriate treatment center, all in the comfort and safety of their own home. “Multichannel” refers to the ability for users to use their phones (smart phones or flip phones) to communicate their systems through our platform by dialing a short code (calling), texting a short code (SMS), or texting a WhatsApp number. Additionally, our solution involves the African community health workers—trusted individuals who have existing relationships with African communities—to provide phone access to community members who do not own a phone so that they can still utilize our platform and receive the care that they need. What takes our solution to the next level is our Geographic Information System (GIS), which enables the visualization and monitoring of confirmed and suspected Covid-19 cases in communities, as well as records and displays the availability of healthcare facilities so that users can be directed to a facility that has the capacity to care for additional patients. 

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Ultimately our target population is the urban and rural communities across Africa, however in the near term we aim to hyper focus on the rural communities in Nigeria. Nigeria is the tech hub in Africa and rural communities live very far from university-level teaching hospitals, thereby forcing individuals to travel long distances to a health post and then to a subsequent hospital if needed. One of our team members is a doctor in Africa, therefore she knows the healthcare landscape quite well. She mentioned that some people in these communities actually avoid going to the health posts altogether because they want to avoid the long travel and would prefer to stay at home and expereince the symptoms. Intuica makes it easy for them. All they need is a phone (and if they don't have one, the Community Health Workers do) to communicate their symptoms, learn whether they need medical attention and subsequently get directed to the nearest available healthcare facility. The travel distance is trimmed down and by making the user experience seamless, community members will get the answers they need to receive the help they deserve.

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge.

Rapid response - Intuica allows for increased case identification and detection. Resultantly, individuals can know in minutes whether they should seek treatment or not. If they do need treatment, a facility is suggested.

Track the spread of an emerging outbreak & Enhance disease surveillance systems - The GIS will allow for the mapping of cases that were flagged as potential COVID cases in addition to cases that were subsequently confirmed at healthcare facilities. That way, surges can be measured, monitored, and analyzed.

Prevention - This could prevent outbreaks from occurring by allowing for increased detection and therefore increased treatment measures. 


In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Abuja, Nigeria
What is your solution’s stage of development?
  • Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model
Who is the primary delegate for your solution?
Gabriella Paniccia : panicg@mcmaster.ca
More About Your Solution
About Your Team
Your Business Model & Funding
Partnership & Prize Funding Opportunities
Solution Team:
Gabriella  Paniccia
Gabriella Paniccia