Design studio IDEO has created a device for healthcare startup Teal Health that enables women to self-collect samples required for cervical cancer screening in the privacy and comfort of their own homes.
Teal Health's cancer screening service is based around its Teal Wand device, which the US company said enables people "to easily, comfortably and confidently collect their own vaginal sample".
The proprietary device developed in collaboration with design agency IDEO allows the sample to be collected at home or a local health clinic, removing the need for invasive exams.
Teal Wand is based on a prototype created by doctor Avnesh Thakor, who co-founded Teal Health with marketing specialist Kara Egan to help ensure all women and people with a cervix are screened for cervical cancer. The Teal Wand removes the need for intrusive cervical screening exams
Egan said she was motivated to start Teal Health to make it easier for women to access healthcare without taking time out to visit a doctor's office.
"For me, the Teal Health at-home screening is a way to welcome a woman back into her healthcare," she told Dezeen.
"This experience of screening at home is meant to build a relationship with a woman through every aspect of the experience ? from ordering the screening to opening the box, collecting a sample and learning of our results."
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, so long as people are regularly screened to check for the prese...