Check2Gether: Antenatal care for mothers that need it the most

The first 1,000 Days is a concept aiming to give children the best possible start in life, regardless of where they are born. This starts already during the early pregnancy. As part of these efforts Simavi and TNO together created Check2Gether (C2G). C2G combines technical and social innovation to improve antenatal care in the health care centers and during outreach in the community to reach women in their comfortable environment. The Check2Gether Kit is an affordable backpack that contains non-invasive, FDA- and National Guideline-approved screening and diagnostic tools and an app on a smartphone. With this kit, healthcare workers can measure vital signs of pregnant woman such as blood pressure, glucose, protein and hemoglobin. Supported by an app, the health nurse and midwife are better equipped to early identify high risk pregnancies for common health conditions and get instructions. He/she can effectively refer at-risk mothers to higher level of care for follow-up. The tests are easy to use and require minimal medical training, healthcare workers can learn to use them in one day. In combination with group care, Check2Gether is affordable, and empowers primary-level healthcare workers, increases mothers’ awareness of complications and improves compliance to referral, advice, nutrition and lifestyle changes.

A pilot study is performed successfully to initially demonstrate impact, but more evidence is needed for scale-up and to achieve SDG-3. With international and local partners, we aim to make Check2Gether available to every mother who needs it. That includes empowering mothers with at-home kits, and adding new functionalities like smartphone based ultrasound and mHealth to create a seamless healthcare system from home to the hospital. So that, so