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Best iPhone 5 Case for Healthcare Professionals?

H

Hurley82989

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 22, 2012
71
7
Hey all, I was wondering if anyone can recommend a durable case that can easily be completely wiped down daily with disinfectant wipes. I work in a hospital based setting and can't tell you how many times my phone has fell out of the front pocket of my scrubs and into vomit/blood. Or having to use my phone before cleaning my hands. I currently have the otterbox defender which is great but the rubbery outside material becomes quite sticky and nasty after being wiped down. I'd prefer something that's a harder plastic on the outside while still retaining drop protection. I had the galaxy s2 before the iphone 5 which had no hardware buttons so I was able to wipe down the front screen protector completely without any fear of damaging hardware. I was wondering if there were similar options with the iphone.

I was looking into the speck candyshell + front screen protector or otterbox commuter + front screen protector and was wondering if you guys had insight into this. I know that these chemicals will damage the oleophobic coating on the front screen so I definitely need some sort of front protection but I'm wondering how people wipe down the home button area. Thanks!
 
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Hurley82989 said:
Hey all, I was wondering if anyone can recommend a durable case that can easily be completely wiped down daily with disinfectant wipes. I work in a hospital based setting and can't tell you how many times my phone has fell out of the front pocket of my scrubs and into vomit/blood. Or having to use my phone before cleaning my hands. I currently have the otterbox defender which is great but the rubbery outside material becomes quite sticky and nasty after being wiped down. I'd prefer something that's a harder plastic on the outside while still retaining drop protection. I had the galaxy s2 before the iphone 5 which had no hardware buttons so I was able to wipe down the front screen protector completely without any fear of damaging hardware. I was wondering if there were similar options with the iphone.

I was looking into the speck candyshell + front screen protector or otterbox commuter + front screen protector and was wondering if you guys had insight into this. I know that these chemicals will damage the oleophobic coating on the front screen so I definitely need some sort of front protection but I'm wondering how people wipe down the home button area. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Lifeproof case once it's finally released.
 
Hm the lifeproof sounds interesting but the previous version got poor reviews for muffling the microphone. And I hate the idea of having to carry around an extension to use headphones. I'll have to check it out though for sure once it's released.

Any other suggestions?
 
If you don't like the Lifeproof, the Otterbox Defender it is. You can also pick colors matching your scrubs. :)
41URqwLYDCL._SX600_.jpg
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41rZhXFDboL._SX600_.jpg


The only other option would be the Griffin Survivor, but it's rather bulky and also more expensive:
survivor-iphone5-group-1.jpg

survivor-iphone5-blackblue-1_1.jpg
 
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Don't do the otterbox. Horrible for typing due to the screen protector that's built in. No way it should have passed quality control.
 
What about the otterbox with the built in screen protector taken off? I thought I read people doing this and they use the glastr or whichever screen protector of choice.

I would think the company will be making improvements to the lifeproof case considering how much time they're investing prior to release. I mean, the company could've took the case and made adjustments for the 5 and call it a day but instead do some actual field tests with the complaints they've received from the 4/4s.
 
i currently have the otterbox defender in black for the iphone 5 and have had no issues with the built-in screen protector. i originally had the white otterbox defender (which i haven't seen anywhere other than corporate ATT stores) but i switched that out because the white rubber outer layer became dirty very easily.

the built-in screen protector diminishes the quality of the retina display ever so slightly but in terms of touch sensitivity i've had absolutely no issues. the taller lip on the front of the case can be slightly annoying when trying to reach the edges of the display but my main issue with the case is the tackiness of the outer rubber layer. i find this tackiness to make it difficult to take out of my pockets easily as well as take on a very sticky texture when cleaned with disinfecting wipes. i'd much prefer a hard, smooth outer surface which is what i'm looking for.
 
+1 on LifeProof. I can tell you that a lot of professionals in the industry from first responders to docs use this as their case of choice. I know, I am one. Highly recommend it once available for the 5. The muffled sound thing was an issue with their initial case design, however I can tell you for sure that this was rectified and was not an issue later on.
 
thanks guys. i'll definitely keep an eye out for the release of the lifeproof case for the iphone 5.

the only turn-off for me is the need to use a headphone adapter (i listen to my phone all the time while studying) but maybe they solved this issue in the new case. although i suppose to keep the area waterproof it'll be impossible to widen the opening to allow the use of different types of headphones.
 
I also work in Healthcare and will admit that the objects that we carry on our persons can very easily be vectors for nosocomial infections. Just like the stethoscopes, computer terminals, wired telephones, and even our ID badges.

That being said many of my direct colleagues have been using their iPhones without cases of any sort and wipe them down with the disinfectant wipes directly. The all metal and glass construction of the iPhone is very good for this. I personally use cases on my phones for protection and practice regular handwashing before and between interacting with patients.

If are looking for a case that will protect against impact and yet has a hard shell outer surface you may consider the ACASE Superleggera. It is a two layer case with an inner silicone sleeve with an outer hard polycarbonate shell. The difference would be that this case does not provide any sort of water protection.

Here is another option that is specifically designed to be safe for use with germicidal agents in the healthcare setting:
http://www.handhelditems.com/zcover...-case-universal-belt-clip-black-p-136461.html

And a suggestion regarding the possibility that the phone could fall out of your scrubs and into a bodily fluid I cringe at the thought. I make a concerted effort to keep my phones in my "inside" scrub pocket. In other words, I wear the scrub tops that are "reversible" and have shirt pockets on the inside and outside. I use the outside pocket for my pens but use the inside pocket for my phone. It NEVER falls out this way! Give it a try!
 
wow...those batman cases are probably the WORST cases i've ever seen.

looks like i'll be sticking with my defender for now. i'll wait around and see what lifeproof comes out with.

also still considering the candyshell + front screen protector instead. seems like it'll be much slimmer and not so difficult to get out of the pocket
 
With my iPhone 4 I have been happy with my Apple bumper, I would go with something similar.

I would avoid any hard cases. You want a case that has rubber since this helps the phone from slipping if you put it on a clipboard/table.

I usually use hand sanitizer before touching my phone ( before and after every patient encounter) and rarely disinfect my phone. I rarely have to disinfect my phone since my hands/tools are always disinfected after I see a patient.

Other advice is never put your phone in your front pocket. Bending over is already pretty hard in a white coat (pens falling out!). Keep your phone in your pants/lower pocket = less chance of it falling out = less need to disinfect it
 
Shenaniganz08 said:
With my iPhone 4 I have been happy with my Apple bumper, I would go with something similar.

I would avoid any hard cases. You want a case that has rubber since this helps the phone from slipping if you put it on a clipboard/table.

I usually use hand sanitizer before touching my phone ( before and after every patient encounter) and rarely disinfect my phone. I rarely have to disinfect my phone since my hands/tools are always disinfected after I see a patient.

Other advice is never put your phone in your front pocket. Bending over is already pretty hard in a white coat (pens falling out!). Keep your phone in your pants/lower pocket = less chance of it falling out = less need to disinfect it
Click to expand...

I can see it being easy to always disinfect your hands before touching your phone if you're an attending in the outpatient setting. But in a teaching hospital setting if you're asked to quickly look something up in the middle of rounds or in the middle of an outpatient encounter there's no time to clean your hands first.

When someone is screaming at you to get something done and time is really tight especially in the mornings, cleaning my hands before touching my phone is the last thing on my mind...
 
Hurley82989 said:
But in a teaching hospital setting if you're asked to quickly look something up in the middle of rounds or in the middle of an outpatient encounter there's no time to clean your hands first.
Click to expand...


I work in teaching hospital actually, and the scenario you brought up rarely happens. Most attendings frown upon pdas/smartphones on rounds. Sure it might save you from looking like a dumbass, but attendings would rather have you know something/or know you don't know something rather than have you looking it up during rounds.
 
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