Leveraging open hardware to alleviate the burden of COVID-19 on global health systems
Open Access
- 24 April 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLoS Biology
- Vol. 18 (4), e3000730
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000730
Abstract
With the current rapid spread of COVID-19, global health systems are increasingly overburdened by the sheer number of people that need diagnosis, isolation and treatment. Shortcomings are evident across the board, from staffing, facilities for rapid and reliable testing to availability of hospital beds and key medical-grade equipment. The scale and breadth of the problem calls for an equally substantive response not only from frontline workers such as medical staff and scientists, but from skilled members of the public who have the time, facilities and knowledge to meaningfully contribute to a consolidated global response. Here, we summarise community-driven approaches based on Free and Open Source scientific and medical Hardware (FOSH) as well as personal protective equipment (PPE) currently being developed and deployed to support the global response for COVID-19 prevention, patient treatment and diagnostics.This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Open-source hardware for medical devicesBMJ Innovations, 2016
- Return on investment for open source scientific hardware developmentScience and Public Policy, 2015
- Open Labware: 3-D Printing Your Own Lab EquipmentPLoS Biology, 2015
- A Customized Bolus Produced Using a 3-Dimensional Printer for RadiotherapyPLOS ONE, 2014
- Mathematical Modeling of HIV Prevention Measures Including Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis on HIV Incidence in South KoreaPLOS ONE, 2014
- A Handheld Point-of-Care Genomic Diagnostic SystemPLOS ONE, 2013
- Testing the Efficacy of Homemade Masks: Would They Protect in an Influenza Pandemic?Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 2013
- Design and Prototyping of a Low-Cost Portable Mechanical VentilatorJournal of Medical Devices, 2010
- Professional and Home-Made Face Masks Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Infections among the General PopulationPLOS ONE, 2008
- Simple Respiratory MaskEmerging Infectious Diseases, 2006