Are clipboards at pediatrics offices germy?

Yes: And we provide alcohol cleansers for use between patients and their parents. Bring your own is my best advice.

Sure: Most everything has some exposure unless thoroughly cleaned between each exposure.

Yes they are: Everything someone touches in public has germs on them. Most infections are acquired by touching your face (especially nose, mouth eyes) without sanitizing your hands. Hence the best way to prevent acquiring infections from touching a clipboard or a cereal box in the grocery aisle is to wash your hands before touching your face. Good disinfectants are purell type products or soap and water.

Yes: Almost everything in the pediatric office carries germs, including books, toys and even the doctor's stethoscope. Most offices try to clean these items but it would be very difficult to clean everything between each patient. Hand washing is a good idea when you leave using soap and water or hand sanitizer which should be available in each room.

Not really!: If you are worried about the clipboards, i certainly would not tough the door knobs. No i would not worry about the clip boards. Hopefully they are cleaned on ocassion but even so not likely to be a source of concern.

Yes if...: Not cleaned every day. Truly, everything is "germy" as germs live on everything at all times. This means milliseconds after you wash your hands, germs are already on them again. The reason you wash your hands it to eliminate any "bad" germs that can cause infection. A clipboard in a doctor's office is more likely to have bad germs as there is a higher percentage of sick people there.

Possibly: Anything that multiple people touch without washing their hands has the potential to be "germy". Unfortunately, that goes for many things in our society-doorknobs, clipboards, keyboards, etc. In our pediatric practice, and i would expect the same goes for many practices, the clipboards are routinely wiped down with a sanitizer.

Usually: I have staff clean pens and boards but use your purcell after. Same with pharmacy pens.

Assume so: I would assume that anything in a public area in a pediatrician's office is full of germs.

Yes: Everything, in the doctors' offices, in the grocery store, in the day care, everywhere we go, has germs. There is no way to get rid of all of them, even with usual cleaning precautions. Wash your hands regularly or use hand sanitizers. Keep hands away from your mouth and eyes. Don't allow your child to chew on toys in the Pediatric office.

Germ spread: Any object in a public place or where there is public access can collect germs.what you may want to do is have the sanitary wipes and clean them or any other objects that you or your children come in contact with.to be safer.This advice is actually good for any public facility where there is concern about cross contamination. At our practice we regularly clean these objects including toys etc.

Yes they may be: There are germs in each doctor's office and inspite of cleaning and using disinfectant one is not able to get rid of all the germs. Only way you can be safe is to wash your hands after using the clipboard or anything else in doctors office. Most Pediatrician have stopped keeping toys in their waiting room to prevent the spread of germs.But the risk of getting sick from the clipboard is very minima

Yes: Anything that is touch by multiple people is by definition "germy". Unless people are consistent in cleaning their hands before touching then all the organisms they have pick over the course of the day on their hands will pass to the surface they are touching.

Yes: there is the potential that clipboards handled by various personnel can transmit infectious disease

Depends: As with any item in a Pediatric office - cross contamination is a problem. A professional office will wipe down items that come into contact with the patient population. But, handwashing is the key. Your caretakers should wash their hands between all patients. If you are handed a clipboard to help you fill out paperwork just ask for a Lysol wipe to use to ease your concerns.

Of course they are: Each new person who picks it up can contaminate it. The office can have several bottles of Purell around encouraging people to use it frequently. Whenever studies are done in hospitals to reduce infections people wash their hands frequently and infection rates go down. As soon as the study officially ends people get lazy, hand washing rates go down and infection rates go up.

Surface germs: There are likely to be germs on surfaces in pediatric offices that cannot be cleaned after every patient. If you are concerned about the clip-boards at your pediatrician's office, I would bring a disinfectant wipe with you and wipe it off before use. Also, you could ask the staff to wipe it off for you. Additionally, you can wash your hands after using a clip-board