COVID-19 has created a renewed awareness of the importance of cross-contamination and infection control in healthcare facilities, including on mobile devices, according to an article on the Hospital and Healthcare website.

Devices including smartphones and other mobile healthcare devices can become potential breeding grounds for pathogens. 

A recent study found that almost one-third (32 percent) of survey respondents did not regularly clean or decontaminate the mobile devices they used in a healthcare setting.

This can be of significant concern because SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to live on surfaces for up to several days.

Ultraviolet rays kill nearly 100 percent of bacteria found on mobile devices in healthcare settings, according to a Medical Design and Outsourcing article. Ninety-four percent of cell phones used by hospital staff bore contaminants, according to a 2017 report in Infection Control Today.

The report also said that 89 medical workplace employees were aware their mobile devices could be a source of contamination, yet only 13 disinfected their phones regularly. But, a UV sanitizer can eradicate 99.9998 percent of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 20 seconds.

Read the full Hospital and Healthcare article.