A Dutch meta-analysis of eight studies has discovered a link between healthcare workers' smartphones and the spread of bacteria.
The meta-analysis, originally published in the medical magazine Medisch Contact, found 80 percent of physicians own smartphones and 57 percent use them during interactions with patients.
The smartphones themselves are transmitters of bacteria, with between 43 percent and 95 percent of physicians' smartphones carrying bacteria of hospital origin.
One researcher suggested smartphones should be covered in protective casings that can be disinfected, as discontinuing their use does not seem like a viable option, according to his statement in Dutch News.
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