Are you aware of the fact that your smartphone is house to roughly 25,000 germs per square inch? A study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology claims that around 20 to 30 per cent of bacteria are transferred between the cellphone and your finger.
It seems BlackBerry is quite concerned about health of its customers as the Canadian smartphone maker is planning to develop a bacteria free phone, specifically for use in hospitals.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen revealed the company’s new plan at a hospital near Toronto, where he announced that BlackBerry was partnering with ThoughtWire and Cisco Systems Inc. to provide hospital workers with a portable messaging and alert system.
“Healthcare workers have to be worried about one less thing to wipe down,” with a bacteria-free handset, Chen said.
As per reports, the bacteria-free smartphone would be designed only for hospital personnel and not regular consumers. BlackBerry will be providing the software and devices. It wouldn’t disclose how much it’s spending on the project.
Dr Aviv Gladman, chief medical information officer at Mackenzie Health, said transfer of infections and bacteria between patients in hospitals is a “huge issue.” Medical equipment in patient rooms, including mobile phones, can carry bacteria through the hospital, he said.
Gladman added that medical professionals are supposed to wipe their phone with alcohol before entering and exiting a patient’s room,but hospitals don’t know how effective alcohol wipes are at removing bacteria from phones and medical professionals don’t always wipe. Gladman pointed out that hospital-acquired infections are one of the top reasons patients die in hospital.
Chen has confirmed that BlackBerry is yet to begin developing the clean phone.
