One set of risks CleenCell® addresses through the Mobile Hygiene program is the bacteria build-up and related infection threats associated with personal electronic usage in health care facilities. The company warns that the medical industry’s infatuation with mHealth may be short-lived as a study published in the American Journal for Infection Control reports cell phones and smartphones carry harmful bacteria that can kill or infect patients and doctors.

Last month Good Morning America randomly tested a few cell phones for bacteria. Their findings: Yuck! Using a handheld germ reader, the testers found that the average phone harbors more germs than an office desk, a computer keyboard, and even a toilet seat.

As new information surfaces about the spread of infection via dirty mobile devices, the Mobile Hygiene Campaign, is urging medical professionals, hospital personnel, and parents to update their standards to match the rapidly evolving mobile phone market.

Consider that germs will transfer to your phone whenever you set it down on any surface. Once they’re on your phone, they are just another ‘jump’ away from your fingertips, and then your face, which becomes susceptible to infection.

The threat of infection from cell phones is real, according to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, medical correspondent for CBS News, who recently reported the first known case of MRSA infection from a cell phone. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a harmful bacterium that is particularly dangerous because it is resistant to many types of antibiotics such as methicillin, and penicillin.

Tim Julian, PhD candidate at Stanford University conducted a study revealing that if a virus is present on a touchscreen surface, at least 30% will get on your fingertips and can be easily transferred to your hands, face, and mouth.

A cell phone is a vital tool for any doctor or nurse. But research shows that while a great electronic innovation, this personal item is among the most bacteria infested surfaces we come in contact with every day.

Researchers are only beginningto discover the various forms of bacteria that may be lurking on every surface of your cell phone. According to a March 2009 study in the Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials infectious disease and epidemiology specialists are already warning that mobile phones used by health care workers may increase the risk of hospital acquired bacterial infections. But the risks aren’t limited to just health care workers.

The Mobile Hygiene Campaign has two goals: spreading awareness about bacteria accumulation on cell phones and smartphones, and developing best mobile hygiene practices for industries and individuals through research and discussion.

There is no doubt mobile phone technology has improved patient care and we are only at the beginning of the integration of technology into the medical practice and administration. But with nosocomial infections still a major threat to patients in many hospitals, the development and promotion of mobile hygiene practices in health care facilities is more important than ever.