Over the last five years hospital use of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices has grown dramatically.
Regardless of whether these are staff or visitor devices, they all present the same challenges:
- They are constantly touched (often right after washing hands)
- They are proven to harbour bacteria, with at least 1 in 4 devices contaminated with pathogenic bacteria;
- Harsh chemical wipes often damage the sensitive touch screens.
As this problem has grown, a number of UV sanitizing solutions have come onto the market. These solutions boast a wide range of features and efficacy claims.
So our team put together an Evaluation Guide to assist hospitals in selecting and critically evaluating potential solutions. Below is an excerpt from this guide: a review of the different categories of UV sanitizers.
If you find this section helpful, you can download the full white paper here.
Categories of Countertop UV Sanitizers
UV disinfection solutions for mobile devices can be placed into three broad categories:
Rapid Disinfection. These solutions are designed to integrate into the daily workflow of hospital staff, patients and visitors. Specifications typically include:
- 30-75 second cycle time
- 1-4 phones or tablets sanitized at once
- No device charging due to fast cycle time
Solutions include but are not limited to: CleanSlate UV, ReadyDock® DUO, PhoneSoap® Med+, AUVS, and Sky 7xi ®. Claims between systems vary.
Terminal Disinfection. With a cycle time of 5-15 minutes, these solutions are designed to sanitize while devices are charging. They typically add value via device management features and can be paired with rapid disinfection solutions. Most solutions have a 4-8 device capacity.
Solutions include but are not limited to: SealShield ElectroClave® and ReadyDock® RD5.
Consumer Sanitizers. These systems are typically sold direct to consumer. They have a cycle time of 5-15 mins, charge devices while sanitizing, and kill ~99.9% of household bacteria. They are inexpensive but often lack the efficacy of hospital-grade UV sanitizers.
Solutions include but are not limited to: PhoneSoap® 3.0, PhoneSoap® XL, and LeadYoung UV.
Interested in learning more? You can download the full white paper by clicking this link.