Abstract
In this manuscript, we discuss relevant socioeconomic factors for developing and implementing sensor analytic point solutions (SNAPS) as point-of-care tools to serve impoverished communities. The distinct economic, environmental, cultural, and ethical paradigms that affect economically disadvantaged users add complexity to the process of technology development and deployment beyond the science and engineering issues. We begin by contextualizing the environmental burden of disease in select low-income regions around the world, including environmental hazards at work, home, and the broader community environment, where SNAPS may be helpful in the prevention and mitigation of human exposure to harmful biological vectors and chemical agents. We offer examples of SNAPS designed for economically disadvantaged users, specifically for supporting decision-making in cases of tuberculosis (TB) infection and mercury exposure. We follow-up by discussing the economic challenges that are involved in the phased implementation of diagnostic tools in low-income markets and describe a micropayment-based systems-as-a-service approach (pay-a-penny-per-use—PAPPU), which may be catalytic for the adoption of low-end, low-margin, low-research, and the development SNAPS. Finally, we provide some insights into the social and ethical considerations for the assimilation of SNAPS to improve health outcomes in marginalized communities.
Highlights
Point Solutions (SNAPS) and Pay-A-Penny-Per-Use (PAPPU) Paradigm as a Catalyst for Democratization of Healthcare in Underserved Communities
By conducting a literature search on the Web of Science, we found that, in the past 10 years, 303 research articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals that have portrayed the development of E. coli biosensors
The framework of sensor analytic point solutions (SNAPS) with PAPUU has the potential to pave the way for economically viable systems that can potentially be applied as tools to reduce local environmental risks and mitigate health problems that are derived from them
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), environmental factors including unsafe water, poor sanitation, air pollution, and unintentional exposure to hazardous chemical and biological agents are root causes for the burden of disease, disability, and death in the developing world [1,2]. Even though thousands of sensors and point-of-care diagnostic tools have been developed in research labs around the world in the past few decades, the large majority of these technologies have not yet translated into implementable solutions due to different obstacles including the unsuitability of operation under real-world conditions, high fabrication and operation costs (which limits market penetration and profitability), and a lack of convergence with other technologies to yield actionable information for the user [23]. Only a small fraction of these papers has included claims such as real-sample testing (~29%), low-cost fabrication (~10%), portability (~9%), and user-friendly operation (~2%) (the complete report from this search is available, Tables S1–S3). In this manuscript, we provide examples of SNAPS that have been tested in field conditions, within the context of low-income communities. We provide some insights on the social and ethical considerations for the effective use of SNAPS in assisting users and improving health outcomes in underserved communities
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