NkwaSafe: A Mobile First-Aid Educational Intervention to Support Prehospital Care Gaps in Rural Ghana
1
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, United States
2
University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
3
Kintampo Health Research Centre, Kintampo, Ghana
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3422
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Non-communicable injuries are among the leading causes of preventable mortality. In Ghana, road accidents contributed to an estimated 2949 deaths in 2025. Many deaths occur during the pre-hospital period, when bystanders lack accessible guidance for early emergency interventions, compounded by limited access to timely emergency response, particularly in rural communities. About 24 million Ghanaians have smartphones, so culturally and linguistically tailored digital health interventions are a scalable way to improve emergency preparedness at the community level. This project is developing NkwaSafe, where “Nkwa” means “life” in Twi, a multilingual mobile application that delivers easily comprehensible first-aid guidance and emergency action pathways to Ghanaian users while complementing the existing health system.
METHODS:
NkwaSafe is an early-stage prototype centered around “NkwaGuides,” which deliver instructions for first-aid techniques. The guides address common emergencies in Ghana, including uncontrolled bleeding, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and joint stabilization. Core components include (1) voice-guided step-by-step first-aid instructions; (2) instructions in five Ghanaian language options; (3) an emergency phone number directory; and (4) a micro platform architecture for minimal data use and offline functionality. A rapid implementation usability assessment has been conducted with community members using structured feedback questions. All instructional content was adapted from publicly available guidance issued by the Ghana Health Service and other national entities.
RESULTS:
Preliminary findings showed that participants (n=20) rated the instructions as clear and expressed willingness to use the application before and during emergencies, with a strong preference for audio guidance. Feedback highlighted opportunities to refine instructions provided in local languages and emphasized the importance of offline access.
CONCLUSIONS:
NkwaSafe demonstrates the potential of tailored digital health tools to strengthen community confidence and response capacity during a medical emergency. Although developed for Ghana, the culturally adaptable framework offers a scalable model for community-centered public health digital innovation across Africa.
Non-communicable injuries are among the leading causes of preventable mortality. In Ghana, road accidents contributed to an estimated 2949 deaths in 2025. Many deaths occur during the pre-hospital period, when bystanders lack accessible guidance for early emergency interventions, compounded by limited access to timely emergency response, particularly in rural communities. About 24 million Ghanaians have smartphones, so culturally and linguistically tailored digital health interventions are a scalable way to improve emergency preparedness at the community level. This project is developing NkwaSafe, where “Nkwa” means “life” in Twi, a multilingual mobile application that delivers easily comprehensible first-aid guidance and emergency action pathways to Ghanaian users while complementing the existing health system.
METHODS:
NkwaSafe is an early-stage prototype centered around “NkwaGuides,” which deliver instructions for first-aid techniques. The guides address common emergencies in Ghana, including uncontrolled bleeding, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and joint stabilization. Core components include (1) voice-guided step-by-step first-aid instructions; (2) instructions in five Ghanaian language options; (3) an emergency phone number directory; and (4) a micro platform architecture for minimal data use and offline functionality. A rapid implementation usability assessment has been conducted with community members using structured feedback questions. All instructional content was adapted from publicly available guidance issued by the Ghana Health Service and other national entities.
RESULTS:
Preliminary findings showed that participants (n=20) rated the instructions as clear and expressed willingness to use the application before and during emergencies, with a strong preference for audio guidance. Feedback highlighted opportunities to refine instructions provided in local languages and emphasized the importance of offline access.
CONCLUSIONS:
NkwaSafe demonstrates the potential of tailored digital health tools to strengthen community confidence and response capacity during a medical emergency. Although developed for Ghana, the culturally adaptable framework offers a scalable model for community-centered public health digital innovation across Africa.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
