Self-care

For disadvantaged groups such as women, self-care can help in overcoming barriers to access to care, promote privacy and confidentiality for sensitive issues and allow them to make informed decisions for better health and wellbeing. For non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, self-care is critical to manage the condition on a daily basis and reduce the risk of long-term complications.

Our goal is to empower individuals, families, and communities, particularly those in underserved and under-resourced regions, by providing access to reliable, user-friendly diagnostics that promote health, prevent disease, and support effective management of existing conditions. We leverage innovation in diagnostics, devices, and digital solutions to provide individuals with the necessary tools and knowledge for self-assessment, self-monitoring, self-collection, and self-testing.

Our work advances self-care by accelerating the development, introducing, and promoting access to innovative diagnostics, devices, and digital solutions, particularly in underserved and low-resource settings through:

1. Development and validation of diagnostics, devices and digital solutions: We work with global and local stakeholders to identify the need for self-care solutions to inform and guide manufacturers in the development and validation of innovative self-care solutions. Examples include self-testing kits for hepatitis and COVID-19, and self-collection kits for HPV, which enable people to collect their own samples and/or test themselves at their own convenience and discretion. For diabetes, blood glucose meters and tests strips, as well as continuous glucose monitoring devices, are critical for daily management of the condition at home.
2. Advocacy: We work with global stakeholders to influence policies and practices that enable greater access to diagnostics, devices, and digital solutions. We advocate for increased accessibility and affordability of self-care tools such as self-collection and self-testing kits for communicable infectious diseases like hepatitis, and self-monitoring devices for non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
3. Education and training: We support the education of healthcare providers, patients, and communities on new diagnostics, devices, and digital solutions. By enhancing people’s knowledge and understanding, they can use these solutions more effectively for self-care.
4. Partnerships: We collaborate with other organizations, communities, manufacturers and governments to co-develop and bring high-quality, people-centric diagnostics, devices and digital solutions to market and ensure they reach the people who need them.
5. Promoting technology use: We leverage advancements in technology to strengthen self-care solutions. For example, supporting the use of mobile health technologies (such as SMS and messaging platforms) that individuals can use for accessing trusted information on when and how to access diagnostic services, and to share data directly with their healthcare providers.