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Ideas Work
That
INFECTION PREVENTION
Don't Forget to Disinfect Your Tech
P
ersonal mobile devices are
a breeding ground for bac-
teria, so make sure the
phones, devices and laptops used
throughout your facility don't pose
infection risks. I collected random
observations of personal device use
in the OR during a single day and
utilized a rapid Adenosine
Triphosphate (ATB) test and a lumi-
nometer to assess surface hygiene.
A unit of cleanliness as a relative
light unit (RLU) was revealed, rang-
ing from ultra clean (0 to 10 RLUs)
to filthy (more than 1,000 RLUs).
The level of cleanliness was meas-
ured before and after a cleansing
wipe was used. Before cleaning,
vendors' devices harbored the most
bacteria at over 1,500 RLUs (filthy).
CRNAs carried the second dirtiest
devices with an average RLU score
of 305 (dirty). We now stock touch-
screen cleaning wipes that staff and
vendors use to wipe down their
devices. The wipes are available in
locker rooms, at the nurse's desk
and outside ORs. It takes only sec-
onds to sanitize cell phones, tablets
and laptops and, especially during
the COVID-19 outbreak, providers
should make sure these items don't
transmit pathogens to patients.
Lynn Radzinski, BSN, RN, CNOR
UCHealth Inverness Orthopedics
and Spine Surgery Center
Englewood, Colo.
lradzinski@sbcglobal.net
KEEP IT CLEAN It takes only seconds to sanitize your cell phone or tablet with a cleaning wipe.
UCHealth
