Contributor: Mateo Guerrero, WG’24
To learn more about Mateo, click here.
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This past spring semester a team of 6 Wharton MBA students joined Akoma Health for a 3-month engagement that culminated with an on-site client visit to Lagos, Nigeria. Lilly Guo (WG’24), Hannah Zhang (WG’24), Kaja Grzywaczewska (WG’24), Bernadette Ikhena (WG’24), Josh Wong (WG’24), and Mateo Guerrero (WG’24) joined the Global Health Volunteer’s team to provide guidance and recommendations on Akoma’s self-therapy solutions.
Akoma Health was founded with the goal of providing accessible, culturally conscious mental health services in Nigeria. The organization has built a platform that enables patients to access quality, on-demand, virtual therapy. While Akoma Health was set up in Nigeria, they aim to eventually provide top quality mental healthcare across the African continent. However, the goal of widespread acceptance and integration of mental health solutions throughout Africa is persistently challenged by factors such as cultural stigma, lack of sufficient infrastructure, limited mental health education and awareness, and insufficient governmental funding and policy support.
Despite the challenges, Akoma has been able to develop mental health solutions that capture the nascent demand for online therapy at an accessible price. With the surge in mental health solution awareness and demand, driven in part by the global pandemic, Akoma faced a bigger challenge - finding enough clinical psychologists in a market with limited supply. After partnering with the Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologists, and evaluating supply limitations, Akoma decided to expand into content-based care products.
The WGHV team was tasked with researching and developing technical and functional requirements for an MVP solution of Akoma’s self-guided therapy product offering that could scale across patients and geographies. The team started by evaluating the competitive landscape of content-based mental healthcare solutions in Africa and across the world.
The team was able to develop a framework that evaluates the impact and scalability of product features specific to Akoma’s patient needs. After conducting 14 stakeholder interviews with current and prospective patients, providers, competitors, and HMOs, the team decided to focus on three main areas of development:
- Engagement
- Clinical Outcomes
- Pricing
These verticals provided valuable insights into the pain points and opportunities in the self-guided therapy space. Some preliminary research suggested creating user engagement through the gamification of the app, limiting onboarding workflow, and fostering therapeutic alliance through light human touch. One of the biggest challenges was building a comprehensive and effective CBT therapy that minimizes or completely substitutes for any human interaction. The team approached this hurdle by suggesting developing a self-guided brief CBT therapy with the option to connect with a live clinical psychologist at any point throughout the therapy process. In addition, to help support patients with any questions, the therapy solution included a chatbot that serves as an assistant to promptly address patient inquiries and concerns.
The project concluded with an on-site visit to Akoma in Lagos, Nigeria. The team was extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn first-hand about the advancement in mental health solutions in Africa. With mental health taking priority in recent years, it is crucial to stay relevant by consistently tackling the ever-changing needs and obstacles of mental well-being across the world.
WGHV greatly appreciates the ongoing and generous support from the Wharton Healthcare Alumni Association. This invaluable assistance allows our teams to make a significant impact, as we collaborate with international health organizations and strive to improve access for underserved populations worldwide. Looking ahead, we are eager to find interesting and impactful organizations to partner with in the coming semesters. If you know of any potential projects, please don't hesitate to reach out to the WGHV Executive Board. Your input is highly valued, and together we can continue improving global health.
Contact Mateo at: [email protected]
WGHV Executive Board
Contact Sarah Caldwell at: [email protected]
Contact Mateo Guerrero at: [email protected]
Contact Rainbow Yeung at: [email protected]
Niyi Michael-Adenuga (Akoma Founder); Kaotharah Asani; Kaja Grzywaczewska (WG’24) |