Design of a low-cost autoclave for adoption in rural health posts of the developing world

Abstract

Incidence of surgical site infection is two to five times higher in developing nations as compared to developed nations. Autoclaves kill all dangerous pathogens, including heat-resistant endospores, and are an essential tool to achieving and maintaining a sterile environment, which decreases risk of infection. A low-cost, easy to use autoclave was designed to address the unique technical, behavioral, and market challenges present in rural health posts of the developing world. A thorough stakeholder analysis was performed very early in the design process to address needs for sustained user adoption as well as manufacturability and scalability. Twelve partnering clinics in Nepal trialed these autoclaves from July until December 2012. Usage statistics from this period and follow-up observations highlight important factors for successful adoption. These findings were used to improve the autoclave design in a second iteration.