Hospital Bacteria and the VoIP Solution

Hospital doors adept at keeping flying disease bags at bay are no match for this technological pigeon that comes streaming through day and night.

Peter Ferenczi at Mobiledia is reporting that “phone hygiene” is a real concern:

In a recent study, 40 percent of the phones in the patient group — which included patients’ visitors — carried pathogens, compared to 20 percent of health worker’s phones, according to a paper published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Described as “worrisome” by the study, the types and resistance levels of the bacteria found on these phones should be taken seriously as Ferenczi notes that 100,000 annual deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to hospital acquired infections.

If the germaphobe in you is squirming you should take comfort knowing that in the VoIP world there is a solution to this.

The Polycom KIRK 7020 DECT handset was designed with the healthcare industry in mind.  This little life saver has a bacteria-resistant handset with membrane keypad for easy cleaning to help avoid the spread of bacteria.

Most phones, which are more gross than we’d care to believe, don’t take well to traditional cleaning methods making the KIRK 7020’s membrane keypad especially useful.

Of all the things we expect our phones to do these days , who would’ve thought warding off bacteria and curbing infections could be added to the list?