Design of an IoT Based Monitoring System for Expectant Rural Women in Developing Countries

Abstract

Maternal and child deaths due to pregnancy-related complications are still a huge concern and more prevalent in developing countries. Early detection of complications can help avoid many of the reported cases. Due to long distances to nearby health facilities, lack of knowledge, and poverty, the majority of expectant mothers in rural developing nations are still adamant about prioritizing their health during this very sensitive period. This study aimed at designing and prototyping a system intended to help improve maternal health in rural areas of developing nations. This can be achieved by providing a relatively easy way to monitor the health of expectant mothers remotely and provide vital information in the form of periodic tips with automatic alerts and tracking in case of missed clinical appointments. Therefore, an architecture for context awareness and an IoT-based system is proposed to improve pregnancy monitoring in Africa and thus reduce fatalities and complications. The system uses a pulse sensor, temperature sensor, and GPS module to collect data with an Arduino as the microcontroller. The collected data is sent to the cloud using the GSM module. The cloud data is stored, processed, analysed, and then sent to the health worker. In case of any health complication or an appointment is missed, the health officials are alerted in real-time. This system will ensure a timely response in an emergency, thus leading to better health and contributing to sustainable development goals.