Dubai: A study carried out by the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), in collaboration with Dubai Police and Australia’s Bond University in Queensland, has pointed out the importance of mobile phones and smartwatch sanitization being included in global infection control protocols.
According to the new research, hand hygiene practises are ineffective if wearable devices remain unsanitized. Smart devices, like mobile phones and smartwatches, can be a breeding ground for disease-causing pathogens since warm temperatures and high-touch surfaces are ideal conditions for germs to live.
The researchers called for regularly sanitising the smartphone with an alcohol wipe to remove bacteria.
Prof. Abiola Senok, chair of Basic Medical Sciences and professor of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at MBRU’s College of Medicine, remarked that “our phones are never far from our sides, we take them everywhere with us. We all need to regularly clean our mobile phones and smartwatches as much as we do our own hands.”
The researchers examined the extent of microbial contamination on smart devices in an emergency medical unit by studying samples taken from mobile phones and smartwatches, along with samples from the hands of healthcare workers.
The samples were investigated using next-generation metagenomics sequencing technology to identify which organisms are contaminating these devices.
Our findings are also important for global public health as organisms on the surface of mobile phones and smartwatches can be carried across international borders by travellers.
Dr. Lotti Tajouri, Associate Professor at Bond University, shared.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Rashed Alghafri, the presence of these microbes poses a risk of pathogen transfer to patients as well as the community, and infection control protocols like mobile phone sanitation can reduce this risk.
The collaborative research projects led by the Dubai Academic Health Corporation (DAHC) strengthen the bridge between academia, clinicians, and industry to translate research findings into improved patient care.