Open AccessA low-cost solution for converting existing stethoscope into tele-stethoscope in resource-constrained setting for COVID-19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Sumit Kalra,
Preeti Mutreja,
Amit Goyal,
Aparna Dixit
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of family medicine and primary care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2278-7135
pISSN - 2249-4863
DOI - 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1101_20
Subject(s) - stethoscope , medicine , covid-19 , scalability , medical emergency , pandemic , simple (philosophy) , computer science , virology , pathology , philosophy , disease , epistemology , database , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , radiology
In the present scenario of COVID-19, there has been a sudden surge in demand for tele- consultancy. Such measures require resources to support the system. Replacement of conventional equipment used in a clinic with digital equipment is not feasible due to their cost and scalability issues. The authors developed a simple low-cost (almost zero cost) method to convert a conventional stethoscope into a tele-stethoscope. Such a simple modification can be useful in periphery wherein doctors are still not available and the growing number of patients would require a diagnosis of the chest conditions.