Varkaus, Finland: Finland-based Led Suutari Oy, has announced developing a disinfection product family called IQ Mobile, specifically designed to disinfect mobile devices.

Based on the results of a research project completed in January, the company claimed that the device can combat the antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacteria, which cause hospital-acquired infections and are resistant to antibiotics.

Explaining the reason behind developing the product, the company said that disinfecting mobile devices, as with other electronic devices used in healthcare, has been challenging in the past, due to their design and the restrictions set by manufacturers, and pointed out that several component manufacturers recommend avoiding the use of strong chemical disinfectants when wiping the surfaces of the devices, which decreases the chances of cleaning them properly from pathogens.

Led Suutari Oy explained that the device utilises UV-LED technology, and claimed that reports from independent research organisations have revealed that after a four-minute treatment in the UV LED disinfection unit, bacteria, such as the MRSA were almost completely destroyed.

According to the company, while the microbiological efficacy of the devices has been studied by the University of Eastern Finland and Biosafe in Kuopio, they are in test use at the University Hospitals of Helsinki, Oulu, Tampere and Turku, and in use at the Kuopio University Hospital. The company revealed that it intends to introduce the device to the global market soon.

The company, underling the need for a device like IQ Mobile, said that Veli-Jukka Anttila, a Docent of Internal Medicine and Senior Physician at the Infection Centre of Helsinki University Hospital, reportedly cautioned that mobile devices of healthcare personnel and patients, keyboards and electrical healthcare equipment are an everyday problem, as there is a possibility that one might forget to disinfect one’s hands after touching them, and then go on to treat a patient. “The UV LED disinfection system by Led Suutari,” said Anttila, “could be a solution to the disinfection problem of mobile devices in a hospital environment.”