Design and Development of a mHealth Dementia Screening Tool in Resource-Limited Settings

Dementia impacts millions worldwide, with rural regions of Latin America facing notable challenges in diagnosis and care. Digital healthcare tools, while potentially transformative, often fail in these areas due to lack of cultural integration, usability issues, and missing features, resulting in ineffective top-down solutions. This case study explores how Community Engagement and Involvement (CEI) principles were applied in the design of a mobile health dementia screening system tailored for rural Peru. For 18 months, we engaged in an iterative participatory process with local community health workers (CHWs) and healthcare professionals. We detail how this process directly informed our design outcomes, ensuring the solution was adapted to the specific needs of the communities. In addition, the paper highlights key learnings for HCI practitioners and researchers working on similar projects. These insights underscore how participatory design approaches can lead to more effective socio-technical health solutions in resource-constrained settings.