Ingrid Spijkerman, microbiologist and director of the workgroup infection prevention warns in an interview with webwereld. She states that having iPad in hospitals both for healthcare providers and for patients is an infection risk which is not considered at the moment they are introduced. There are no guidelines yet that specify the use of tablets and the requirements on desinfecting them. Especially, because of the touch interface of tablets, cleaning and desinfecting them frequently is a very important issue.
An additional problem is that Apple states in their manual that the iPad should not be cleaned with alcohol since this would damage the top layer on the screen. This top layer (oleofobic coating) makes it easier to remove fingerprints from the screen. Furthermore, they state that the use of alcohol or other cleaning solutions on a regular basis could decrease the sensitivity of the touchscreen or damage the screen.
The workgroup infection prevention states that research should be conducted to determine the infection risk of tablets.
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