Randomized Pilot Study Evaluating Isopropyl Alcohol and UVC Rays in Disinfection of Cell Phones

Cell phones have become a fundamental accessory of our lives and clinical practice, often kept in contact with the body. Since most modern smartphones are equipped with touch screens, they can serve the function of reservoirs for pathogenic microorganisms; moreover, they can be the means of transmission of such microorganisms from the environment to humans. A number of observational studies are available in the literature evaluating the effectiveness of various sanitization methods in reducing the bacterial load of high-touch devices, both chemical and physical. To our knowledge, no real-world evidence is available comparing the residual effect of the two methods on the bacterial load of cell phones, since all available studies are carried out in the laboratory, with inoculums of predetermined bacterial loads whose suppression by the disinfectant is monitored over time, and involve laptops, tablets and keyboards.