Should I be cleaning my mobile phone?

[NurseIAm0613]

I am a nurse at a general childrens ward (dealig with meningitis, encephalitis, infection by herpes virus, etc) and when I get home from work I always wipe my mobile with anti-bacterial wipes, making sure I don't touch any part of it with my unclean hands - this is a big issue for me as I then take my mobile to bed with me.

Does anyone do anything similar? Is this something I'm right to do or should I not bother?

Thank you.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I said "yes," ... but actually ... you shouldn't be taking a dirty phone from patient room to patient room, either. If you get bugs on your phone in one room and then go to another room, touch your phone, and transmit those bugs to the patient in another room -- that's bad. Items used/touched in one room should never be used in another without being cleaned.

[NurseIAm0613]

Well I dont use my phone in front of patients. But it does get left laying around the nurses station when its charging.

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

Primary fomite. Keep out of patient care areas and when you go to the bathroom.

[Purple_roses]

Just be careful not to wipe your actual phone screen with the antibacterial wipes, because it can progressively remove the protective coating that many smart phones have on the glass.

[NurseLife88, ADN, RN]

I definitely say yes to you wiping down the phone as well as keeping it out of pt care areas. I work general peds as well and like to wipe mine with an alcohol swab a few times a shift as needed (not as harsh as some other wipes.) I try not to take it in rooms with me and keep it at the nurses station.