2022 SAEMF/GEMA Research Grant - $10,000

“Increasing Access to Pre-Emergency Care and Treatment in Ghana" 

Through this grant, we seek to address pre-emergency conditions, and to implement a pediatric telehealth and medication delivery service in Ghana. This will be accomplished using the MotoMeds model in which families with children that have developed symptoms of an acute illness or an acute exacerbation of a chronic illness call a health line, are
triaged and assessed by a healthcare professional, and receive a household medication delivery via motorcycle if necessary.

The feasibility of the proposed model is supported by that fact that MotoMeds currently operates safely and efficiently in Haiti. However, the lack of an organized primary response EMS system in Haiti prevents evaluation of MotoMeds within an existing emergency care system. Furthermore, the low burden of malaria in Haiti limits the generalizability of MotoMeds clinical decision support. Ghana was selected to evaluate MotoMeds for generalizability and portability. We hypothesize that the incorporation of a dedicated pre-emergency service into NAS will expand healthcare access and reduce the progression of minor acute illnesses and exacerbations of chronic diseases into true emergencies requiring EMS response.