More articles from INNOVATION

  • Open Access
    Design Improvements for Personal Protective Equipment Used in Ebola and Other Epidemic Outbreaks
    Margaret Glancey, Patience Osei, William Alexander Patterson, Matthew Petney, Laura Scavo, Chandrakant Ruparelia, Soumyadipta Acharya and Youseph Yazdi
    Global Health: Science and Practice June 2017, 5(2):325-328; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-17-00152

    We redesigned the personal protective equipment ensemble widely used during the 2014 Ebola outbreak into a relatively simpler and more versatile coverall and hood, to improve protection and usability for frontline workers treating patients in infectious disease outbreaks around the world.

  • Open Access
    Handwashing With a Water-Efficient Tap and Low-Cost Foaming Soap: The Povu Poa “Cool Foam” System in Kenya
    Jaynie Whinnery, Gauthami Penakalapati, Rachel Steinacher, Noel Wilson, Clair Null and Amy J Pickering
    Global Health: Science and Practice June 2016, 4(2):336-341; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-16-00022

    The new handwashing system, designed with end user input, features an economical foaming soap dispenser and a hygienic, water-efficient tap for use in household and institutional settings that lack reliable access to piped water. Cost of the soap and water needed for use is less than US$0.10 per 100 handwash uses, compared with US$0.20–$0.44 for conventional handwashing stations used in Kenya.

  • Open Access
    Remote Sensing of Vital Signs: A Wearable, Wireless “Band-Aid” Sensor With Personalized Analytics for Improved Ebola Patient Care and Worker Safety
    Steven R Steinhubl, Mark P Marriott and Stephan W Wegerich
    Global Health: Science and Practice September 2015, 3(3):516-519; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-15-00189

    This wireless sensor technology, currently being field-tested in an Ebola Treatment Unit in Sierra Leone, monitors multiple vital signs continuously and remotely. When connected with enhanced analytics software, it can discern changes in patients’ status much more quickly and intelligently than conventional periodic monitoring, thus saving critical health care worker time and reducing exposure to pathogens.

  • Open Access
    Biometric Fingerprint System to Enable Rapid and Accurate Identification of Beneficiaries
    Daniel Matthew L Storisteanu, Toby L Norman, Alexandra Grigore and Tristram L Norman
    Global Health: Science and Practice March 2015, 3(1):135-137; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-15-00010

    Inability to uniquely identify clients impedes access to services and contributes to inefficiencies. Using a pocket-sized fingerprint scanner that wirelessly syncs with a health worker's smartphone, the SimPrints biometric system can link individuals' fingerprints to their health records. A pilot in Bangladesh will assess its potential.