Deaftronics Expands into Digital Health

In Botswana and most developing countries the issue of hearing loss is an all 
too common
reality with the world health organization estimating that over 626 million 
people globally having
disabling hearing loss almost two thirds of which come from low to middle 
income countries.  One
of   the main reasons for this discrepancy is the access to the screening tests 
needed to diagnose
hearing impairments.  Where in most developed countries there is on average one 
audiologist for
every 20,000 people, while in developing regions, such as Africa, that number 
can be one for every
two to six million people. This extreme shortage of health specialists means 
that most impairments
go undetected and unmanaged for a larger number of individuals across the 
globe.  In addition to
access, the combined costs of traditional hearing aids, $1800, and batteries, 
$1/week, is far out of
the price range for many individuals in developing countries.     We realized 
that in order to meet
our goal of lowering hearing loss and its burden we would need to bring the 
hearing assessment
and resources out to the communities that lack access to specialist or the 
ability to pay for high
cost equipment.

This  is  where  DREET  comes  in.  DREET,  which  stands  for  Detection,  
Research,
Education, Equipment, and Training, is a tried and tested health care program 
that looks to break
down  these  barriers  to  by  taking  holistic  approach  to  solving  the  
challenges  posed.  With  our
innovative smart phone hearing test app, pure tone, we can bring a cost 
effective and mobile way
to screen for hearing impairments to those communities that traditionally 
lacked access. We plan
to select the best distribution channels that will allow us  reach highest 
number of individuals,
identify the right price point for the screening test, and develop promotional 
material that will
allow us to connect with different markets, from children to mothers and 
beyond.  Finally, we will
build strong training program for all our distribution partners/field workers 
to help multiply the
impacts they have on each community and empower them with the right tools and 
resources they
need to be successful.    Together we will be able to help reach and diagnose 
more individuals,
provide guidance to affordable resources such as our solar powered hearing aid 
Solar Ear, and
educate communities on topics from prevention to societal integration.


Holistic sustainable health solution via DREET

Detection is the most important step in order to rapidly treat a
patient in order to avoid worsening their hering condition

Research is a key by product that will help us improve technologies
and reach new communities

Education: 50% hearing loss can be prevented

Equipment : Utilizing the best equipment to minimize the effects
of hearing loss.

Training:  build in field capacity of secondary health care workers,
teachers

DREET is a better approach

•    Affordable:  The Solar Ear cost is on average 80% less than a traditional 
hearing aid
with a much longer battery life span

•    Accessible:  With an easy to use app and access to smartphones in even the 
most rural
areas of,  DREET is able to provide hearing test to communities that have 
limited to no
access to an audiologist or traditional hearing test equipment

•    Connected – With over 90% of deaf babies born to hearing  parents, who 
often don’t
what to do next we will develop a crowd mapping source which locates ENT’S,
Audiologists, Deaf schools, and more so that parents can be connected to 
resources and
organisations which can assist them.

With DREET (Impact)

a)   Lower hearing loss and its burden to through the use of innovative 
technologies

b)   Increase hearing aid usage in developing countries

c)   Empower the hearing impaired to integrate with mainstream society.

d)   Educate families of children with hearing impairments

e)   Lower preventable hearing impairments