Findings of a recent study undertaken in Tasmania, Australia, has shown that smartphones may be responsible for spreading diseases in hospitals.

A recent report in Tech Radar says that even as devices have altered the manner in which hospitals function, as doctors and nurses often share them between them with a view to access laboratory results and harmonize patient care, the study says that this practice may be putting the patients' health at risk.

According to the findings of the study, as much as 50 per cent of smartphones had only one bacteria species, 40 per cent of them had two species, and three per cent had three species.

According to medical researcher Dr. Foong Yi Chao, "Three quarters of phones that we saw actually grew bacteria, out of those a small but significant percentage - 5 per cent actually - grew pathogenic bacteria that can cause infections."

He added, "Even the mildest of these bacteria can cause gut and blood infections in patients with already compromised immune systems."

Dr. Chao emphasized that smartphones require being disinfected in the same manner that doctors wash their hands. However, findings of the study show only one in five medical professionals disinfect their smartphones regularly.

"Mobile phones are being used by everyone nowadays, they're so important in hospital settings for communication," the medical researcher said, adding, "So even though it sounds like a small percentage, it's one in every 20 phones so it's small but significant."

According to Dr. Chao, "And while there are stringent protocols for sterilizing hospital equipment, clothing and staff hand washing, that is not necessarily the case for mobile phones."

He, however, admitted that "Worldwide there are no known protocols for phone cleaning; it's something that's only been looked at recently... so that's something that needs to be developed in the future."