Infectious communication: Smart phones for clinical communication

✍ Scribed by Richard R. W. Brady; Akila Visvanathan; Mark Rodrigues; Alan P. Gibb

• Book ID: 102343625
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 74 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1553-5592
• DOI: 10.1002/jhm.870

✦ Synopsis

We read with interest the recent study 1 evaluating utilization of smart phones for clinical communication. While debate remains over efficiency and quality of care benefits, an additional concern is the implication of such technology for infection control.

More than 20 studies have demonstrated that mobile communication devices in the clinical environment provide a reservoir of bacteria known to cause nosocomial infections. [2][3][4] As observed, the median use of smart phones is 27.5 times per day. 1 Such utilization frequency, in the absence of strict hand hygiene and regular device decolonization, provides obvious potential for cross-contamination within clinical environments.

Additionally, a majority of doctors routinely carry a personal mobile phone at work. 4,5 The ''team blackberry'' approach 1 requires yet another device to be hosted. While questions surround the need for such additional devices, as an alternative to directing calls to a particular personal phone or email address (which would negate costs), the proposed approach acts to compound the risk of cross-contamination. Doctors could potentially be required to carry multiple mobile devices/reservoirs through diverse clinical environments, including sensitive areas such as intensive care or operating theatre environments. Therefore, consider-ation of specific actions to mitigate cross-contamination risk is also required.