Electronics such as cell phones and tablets and remote controls harbor pathogens that hitch rides on those items to other spots inside your facility. Electronics require special cleaning, and rarely is that done.  The next time you are in a health care facility look at all the electronic devices that can harbor pathogens. They are everywhere. Treating phones, tablets and other electronic devices with persistent cleaning technologies will keep people safer. No one wants to go into a hospital for some simple reason only to face risks of infection inside the place they are seeking help. But it happens more often than many think. Being diligent about keeping electronic items pathogen-free can go a long way toward reducing the spread of infection throughout hospitals, physicians’ offices and assisted living facilities to name just a few places.

One study below notes that currently mobile phones are largely neglected from a biosecurity perspective, but they are likely to assist the spread of viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacterial Pathogens Found on Healthcare Workers’ Cellphones

Mobile phones as fomites for potential pathogens in hospitals: microbiome analysis reveals hidden contaminants

Mobile phones represent a pathway for microbial transmission: A scoping review

The role of mobile phones as a possible pathway for pathogen movement, a cross-sectional microbial analysis

CELL PHONES OF HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AS FOMITES HARBOURING POTENTIAL PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS

Mobile phones are covered in germs. Disinfecting them daily could help stop diseases spreading

Healthcare Personnel Attire and Devices as Fomites: A Systematic Review

Microbial Exchange via Fomites and Implications for Human Health

Environmental Contact and Self-contact Patterns of Healthcare Workers: Implications for Infection Prevention and Control

Transmission of Influenza A in a Student Office Based on Realistic Person-to-Person Contact and Surface Touch Behaviour

Do toys, reading materials, and other fomites in office waiting rooms increase infection rates?

Fomite-mediated transmission as a sufficient pathway: a comparative analysis across three viral pathogens

Viruses Live on Doorknobs and Phones and Can Get You Sick—Smart Cleaning and Good Habits Can Help Protect You

Office Germs: Viruses Spread Everywhere in Just Hours, Study Shows