How Mobile Devices Can Pose a Safety Risk to Hospitals and What They’re Doing to Combat It

Most people don’t think about things like germs and pathogens when they use their mobile devices. Hospitals, on the other hand, have to because they are held accountable for what happens in their facilities. Therefore, they must keep an eye out for what is facilitating the spread of infections. 

The rise of phones and tablets in healthcare, which was intended to save valuable resources and get people faster and more efficient treatment, had an unexpected side effect, as can occur in medicine. These devices are rapidly facilitating the spread of bacteria and precautions need to be taken. Ask yourself how much emphasis is constantly placed on washing your hands. It’s not a misguided effort. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention estimate that 80% of infections are transmitted by hands. But what happens if you touch your phone that never gets disinfected moments after washing your hands? Or even worse, what happens if you had previously been interacting with people who have contagious illnesses? 

So does the CDC, who estimate that 1.7 million people are developing healthcare-acquired infections yearly, leading to almost 100,000 annual fatalities. The cost of this to hospitals is in the tens of billions. Healthcare workers’ inconsistent handwashing is considered to be a root cause. But what can they conceivably do about their devices? Apple and Samsung products are very practical and widely used, but one thing they are not is impervious to common cleaning products. They publicize such on their respective websites. As a result, healthcare providers have had to find different solutions to disinfect their devices and maintain a sanitary environment. 

One such solution is to utilize UV-disinfection technology. A popular version of this is the latest version of the ElectroClave, launched in November 2019. It is perhaps the most advanced solution for mobile device disinfection in the market today. On top of eliminating 99.9999% of germs, it’s also capable of tracking an entire organization’s disinfection cycles and message employees when their devices are due for a new cycle. In other words, this is the only device that is not only capable of thoroughly disinfecting everyone’s phones, but also ensuring that it gets used. 

The President of Seal Shield (who manufacture the devices), Andrew McCarthy, describes the ElectroClave as “an easy way to disinfect mobile devices in seconds without the utilization of harsh cleaners, which damage those devices over time.” It is important to emphasize that some devices which utilize heat can often damage people’s expensive mobile devices over time. The ElectroClave on the other hand utilizes the more practical UV technology which doesn’t harm people’s devices, only bacteria. 

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