Provision of biomedical equipment reference texts and manuals on e-readers in resource-poor settings

The Developing World Healthcare Technology Laboratory (DHTLab) at Duke University has developed a comprehensive, open-source biomedical equipment technician's (BMET) library. In this work we experimented with making the DHTLab BMET library and medical equipment manuals available via electronic reader (e-reader). In this paper we describe an early deployment of e-readers to Haiti. The results were mixed. One Kindle machine was damaged in shipping. A Sony reader's charger was forgotten in the US. Preliminary information suggests that the technicians are capable of using the e-readers to view documents without training. Interviewed technicians were enthusiastic about the readers. In conclusion, these devices have the ability to solve several long standing issues for BMET's in resource-poor settings: 1) They have the potential to translate a library into multiple languages; 2) They are easily stored and maintained, potentially remotely; 3) They can receive and store manuals for equipment that the hospital owns, circumventing the need for generic copyright permissions. But, the technology is in an early stage and more work is needed.