Melanatal
An app for clinicians and parents that provides inclusive care resources to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes
In the UK, Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than their white counterparts. Similarly, Black babies face higher risks of neonatal complications such as jaundice and low oxygen levels (cyanosis). This gap in care likely arises from an unintended bias in the medical literature that caters to patients with white skin.
Ruby Jackson, a midwife and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur, won the Priority Digital Health Challenge 2024 for her idea that aimed at empowering clinicians and parents with ethnically inclusive resources on maternal and neonatal conditions. She built Melanatal, without code, using the Cogniss platform with the help of Academy courses, expert support and help articles.
By offering accurate, visual and accessible content, Melanatal helps address skin tone bias in clinical assessments and ensures better health outcomes for mothers and babies of colour.
Key features of the app
Educational content on how health conditions present in mothers and babies of colour
Ability to save articles for quick access
Links to external trusted resources
Since its launch, Melanatal has gained significant attention, including coverage by BBC News and Nursing Times, and has attracted interest from several NHS trusts. Ruby has also won multiple awards for her work and is currently completing DTAC certification to enable NHS pilots of the app.
Melanatal is a simple tool that aims to make a big impact on health outcomes for ethnic minorities. Ruby seeks partners that would like to pilot this solution for their patients or clinicians.
Want to develop a simple intervention that addresses inequities within health? Speak to our team to discuss possibilities with Cogniss or to get started with a free trial.