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Pathogen Containment for Interactive Devices (PACID)

Formerly Communication in Infection Environments

Need

Healthcare professionals often communicate with portable devices, such as smartphones. However, when entering spaces with infectious contamination like rooms with patients harboring the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, these devices cannot be used. At the same time, healthcare professionals need to be available continuously, hence being reachable by phone is essential for uninterrupted operation of a hospital. Using these devices by healthcare professionals in an infectious environment risks surface contamination and export of infectious agents to the outside world, potentially putting healthy people at risk. Wiping the surfaces of these devices with a disinfectant is an option; however, it was shown that this way, infectious agents are not eliminated sufficiently (Murgier et al. 2016 Orthop Traumatol Surg Res). At the same time, portable electric devices also harbor opportunistic germs putting high-risk patients in danger (Kirkby et al. 2016, Adv Neonatal Care).

Goal

The PACID system aims to shield portable electronic devices (such as phones, pagers, etc.) from surface contamination while maintaining access to its features (touchscreen, buttons, microphone, loudspeaker). For this, the PACID system introduces a disposable plastic containment around the device before entering the contaminated space. After leaving the infectious environment, the plastic containment is removed from the phone with a bag opener and stored in a sluice until it is retrieved by the user.

More on the solution developed by this project: PACID
For inquiries on this solution, please contact: Daniel Kirschenbaum

Project and Team

  • Daniel Kirschenbaum
    Lead (medical) and product owner
  • Daniel Omidvarkarjan
    Lead (engineering) and scrum master
  • David Ochsner
    CAD
  • Daniele Cipriano
    CAD
  • Harry Woodfin
    Animations and Videos
  • Ralph Rosenbauer
    Communications

Publication

Prototyping Strategies for the Agile Development of Additive Manufactured Products: A Case Study from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Video Manual


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