What’s New with MiracleFeet’s Mobile App? CAST Update

July 12, 2018

Since the rollout of our mobile app CAST in Liberia this past March, the MiracleFeet programs team has been busy planning for the next phase of the technology project made possible by our Google.org Impact Challenge Grant.

In the past four months, providers from Uganda, Tanzania, and Bangladesh have taken part in CAST training as they prepare to implement the app at their in-country clinics. As clinics worldwide begin to use CAST, our programs team is preparing for the next stage of improvements to the app: SMS integration.

In the past few years, MiracleFeet has piloted the use of SMS in India, the Philippines, and Nicaragua. Parents whose children are enrolled in treatment at certain clinics in those countries periodically receive text messages offering encouragement, reminders, and educating them about the treatment process for their child.

For example, an SMS offering encouragement immediately after enrollment might look like this:

A parent whose child has just received a new cast would get the following message:

Finally, since 90% of clubfoot relapses are caused by lack of bracing compliance, a series of messages remind parents about the importance of the brace would be sent at regular intervals. A reminder message for a child who has recently entered the bracing phase would look like this:

One challenge of the SMS reminders is that they have not been linked closely with each individual child’s stage of treatment. For example, there has not been a way to remind parents of an upcoming appointment or send a text if a parent has missed a scheduled clinic day. Integrating these messages with CAST would allow for a streamlined and targeted system of communication directly linked to a child’s phase of treatment.

We expect to begin work on this project in the fall. Stay tuned for updates!