A group of technology volunteers including Google, Pim de Witte of Whitespell and Daniel Cunningham at Hack4Good, have created the ‘Ebola proof’ tablet.
The tablet is protected by a polycarbonate case, which allows the healthcare experts to dip the device in 0.5% chlorine solution before it is taken out of the medical facility.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Ebola can be transmitted through close contact with infected bodily fluids. However, in high risk areas even a piece of paper leaving a high-risk zone can become fatal if it is passed on.
Médecins Sans Frontières doctors wear ‘moon suits’, gloves, face masks, and goggles to protect themselves and it was reportedly difficult for them to record information wearing all the protective shields.
With the new tablet, the medical professionals working in the affected areas can make a call to record patient information. Currently, doctors have to shout out medical information to prevent contamination.
The tablet runs on Android OS and it is used to recording medical information including comparing pulse, test results, temperature and other results over time and through wireless network.
The software running on the tablet and server was built on top of an existing open source medical records tool called OpenMRS.
The tablet maker removed the edges of the device, so that it could not pierce into the moon suit, reported BBC.
According to MSF technology advisor Ivan Gayton, the tablet has waterproof casing at an "industrial level".
