A “made in Bern” app to manage COVID-19 infectious samples
Tech
30 March 2020
The Institute for Infectious Diseases of the University of Bern and the University Emergency Center of the University Hospital of Bern have jointly developed the “Biorisk Manager” application. It provides healthcare professionals with detailed information on risks and instructions for handling infectious samples from humans and animals. Developed by the Biological Risk Management Network, a […]
The Institute for Infectious Diseases of the University of Bern and the University Emergency Center of the University Hospital of Bern have jointly developed the “Biorisk Manager” application. It provides healthcare professionals with detailed information on risks and instructions for handling infectious samples from humans and animals.
Developed by the Biological Risk Management Network, a competence network of the University Emergency Center of the Inselspital and the Institute of Infectious Diseases (IFIK) of the University of Bern, the new Biorisk Manager application offers a general guide on how to manage infectious samples, including COVID-19, to healthcare professionals working in doctors’ offices, hospitals or emergency response organizations.
The application includes, among other things, instructions on the packaging and transport of dangerous samples, legal stipulations or a list of medical services, laboratories and other institutions at the cantonal level.
“While the application was not designed specifically for COVID-19, it collects information on biosafety in general and makes it available in a straightforward manner,” explains Meret Ricklin, project director at the Inselspital in Bern.
Using a decision tree built into the application, health professionals can find the instructions on how to behave in a given situation. The application also provides contact details of the official institutions that need to be involved or that can help depending on the situation. The application is available in German, French and English and can be downloaded free of charge on the iOS and Android operating systems.
