Project proposes to expand medical monitoring during pregnancy and was one of the highlights of the 2019 Torneio Empreendedor
Débora dos Santos during her presentation / Photo: Diego Furtado
With the purpose of improving women’s quality of life during pregnancy, the Pregnancy Game Project was one of the highlights of the 2019 Torneio Empreendedor (Entrepreneur Tournament), organized by the PUCRS Interdisciplinary Lab for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Idear). During the Tournament, participants were encouraged to develop social impact projects, receiving the support of Idear’s partner mentors. The Game seeks to strengthen the link between health care providers and pregnant women, fostering adherence to prenatal care.
“We are seeking to develop a solution for clinical questions asked during appointments to be made in a more amusing manner. Depending on a patient’s responses, i her ‘avatar’ is built, which also promotes self-knowledge”, remarks Débora dos Santos, a student in the 8th semester of the Nursing Program at PUCRS School of Health and Life Sciences. Besides her, the team responsible for the project includes the students Antônio Glaeser, from the School of Communication, Arts and Design – Famecos, Franciele Bremm, from the School of Medicine, and Rafaela Pasa, from the Psychology Program. The team also includes Débora Cardoso, a business administration technician, and Raquel Custódio, a Bachelor of Public Administration.
Among the group’s motivations for creating the Game are the numbers related to pregnancy. Data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) show that approximately 830 women die every day in the world from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. WHO also estimates that approximately 30 million babies are born premature, underweight or fall ill in the first days of life. In Brazil, the most recent data reveal that almost one third of pregnant women (32.2%) did not attend the minimum number of prenatal care appointments recommended by the Ministry of Health.
Themes such as family and social environment, history of illnesses in the family, number of pregnancies, places where the patient feels pain and its intensity are important issues through which patients reveal conditions that could potentially lead to pregnancy complications. Débora dos Santos points out that the Game allows the health care provider to identify these issues together with the pregnant woman. “If she builds an avatar with high-heel shoes, for example, the professional can suggest wearing more comfortable shoes during that period, to avoid complications in blood circulation and low back pain. It is a way of approaching patient and doctor, and such details sometimes go unnoticed in traditional appointments”, she says.
In the first version of the project, the game consists of a board on which the pregnant woman customizes her avatar with pieces using sustainable materials. Self-declaration of race, mood, hair, breast and belly size are among the nine items that can be customized. “In the future, with investments, the idea is to take the game to a platform, which will be made available by the health professional”, says Débora. She also points out that the team’s participation in Torneio Empreendedor was fundamental to expand the idea. “The guidance and suggestions of mentors added a lot to the development of the project, particularly regarding means to put our ideas into practice, managing for the moment and projecting future possibilities”, she says.
