MARKETING
WHY IT IS INNOVATIVE
Currently there are few sophisticated kits or devices that allow expectant mothers to monitor for preeclampsia at home. Instead, mothers need routine checkups at the doctor’s. Preekitsia provides an unique all-in-one kit that includes everything they would need to screen for preeclampsia at home.
The components of the kits are also innovative. The urine cup is specifically designed so that its enlarged form is easier for pregnant women to catch a sample in a hygienic and convenient manner. The blood pressure monitoring smart watch is also fairly new as not many wearables are currently on the market that test for BP. The Prekitsia mobile app is also designed so that the doctor can monitor multiple patients at once in one system, and allows the patient freedom of choice to send their data over to their doctor, so the doctor has a clearer picture of the patients’ BP and proteinuria trends. The mobile app itself is also one-of-a-kind as it includes an algorithm that would notify patients’ if they may need to see a doctor soon from the markers they may have. It would be convenient for the collection and organization of data from the watch and urine strips for both the patients and doctors.
Such a kit would be especially useful for women who are not able to meet regularly with their doctor or for those who are especially cautious of their health during pregnancy that they would want a constant monitor of BP and proteinuria.
TARGET GROUPS
Pregnant women are our main target of consumers. There are around 4 million births per year in the US, which means around 4 million pregnant mothers that may find our device useful every year [9]. With the knowledge that preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy impact 5-8% of all births in the United States. which is a pretty significant percentage, they may particularly want to be extra cautious about monitoring their BP and proteinuria so they can take action as soon as possible if they have preeclampsia [1].
Our second target group would be hospitals, gynecology departments, women’s health clinics etc. We would have them sell our kits to patients as a third party. Our system compiling patients’ data will be a marketing highlight as they can have a systematic way of keeping all their patients’ data. Just looking at hospitals alone, there are 6210 US hospitals, most of which should have a OB/GYN department, many of which can be potential customers [10].
REMAINING CHALLENGES
Remaining challenges would be allowing the product to be more accessible to all. This would include making our product more cost-effective, so that people from underserved communities are able to access Prekitsia. We would need to research into using more cost effective materials and lowering production costs.
To expand our market, we would include other regions in our target population, such as Europe or Asia where the medical device consumption is increasing rapidly over recent years. We would need to work around regulations in foreign countries, but the potential in the international market is extremely promising.