UV lights could help limit bacteria on phones in healthcare facilities

Ultraviolet sanitizing devices could be stationed around healthcare facilities to help prevent the spread of bacteria on workers’  smartphones, according to an article on the Physicians Weekly website.

Staff at three hospitals disinfected their smart devices twice daily with UV light and found a drastic reduction in the amount of bacteria growing on the devices afterward, according to a recent study from British Columbia.

Routine and proper cleaning of smartphones and wearables has not been well explored, the study team said. Using alcohol wipes is generally not recommended by smartphone makers.

Participants were asked to use the UV sanitizers at the beginning and end of a shift. Researchers swabbed each device before it went into the UV sanitizer and afterward, and found that before UV sanitizing, 20% of devices had bacterial growth, compared to less than 5% afterward.

Read the article.