A tablet device developed by Google can withstand being drenched in chlorine and can be used even when wearing gloves may aid health practitioners in caring for patients with Ebola. It was designed by technology volunteers and Google in order to prevent cross infection as well as data recording errors for patients' medical records.
The deadly Ebola virus can be transmitted through body fluids and can attach themselves to tangible items including papers, pens and even gadgets. This would be a ground for viral proliferation and cross-infection.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International is an international, independent, medical humanitarian group that aids in the treatment of Ebola patients in the peak of the outbreak. They aired their call for an Ebola-proof tablet.
Health workers in the past usually record the data of their patients through shouting over fences to avoid contamination. The doctors and nurses were enclosed in a protective suit with layers of gloves to prevent contamination. This made using gadgets and tablets to record vital patient information impossible.
MSF said that by dictating notes across fences at the end of exhausting shifts while wearing masks or protective gears can be a recipe for error especially that they are holding vital patient information like vital signs.
Thus, Pim de Witte of Whitespell and Daniel Cunningham at Hack4Good, who are international tech volunteers joined efforts to develop the said tablet. They were joined by Google. They developed a water-proof casing in order for it to withstand being sanitized and decontaminated.
It can be soaked in 0.5% chlorine solution which is used to kill the virus and its sharp edges were removed so the protective gear of the workers won't be punctured or pierced. It can also be charged effortlessly because it charges through a wireless device. Thus, using it to record and track the vital signs of patients can be done effortlessly and easily.
"Although we have just treated the largest cohort of Ebola patients in human history, we still know distressingly little about the progression of the disease," says Ivan Gayton, technology advisor at MSF told BBC News.
"In the longer term if we are able to collect more and better information about our patients, we will also learn more about the disease and how best to treat it," he added.