Electronic Device Chargers in the Hospital: A Case Study

This case report follows M.K., a 31-year-old man with spastic paraplegia who sustained a second-degree skin burn after his mobile phone charger cord was trapped beneath his back while hospitalized. This led to complications that necessitated three hospitalizations, multiple surgical interventions, and treatment for a hospital-acquired infection caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nearly every patient brings a mobile phone (and, often, a charger) into the hospital, and the use of these and other electronic devices carries risks. Although numerous media and medical publications have reported serious and even fatal injuries caused by mobile phones and their chargers in domestic settings, reports of such incidents in hospitals remain scarce. This case study discusses the authors' experience in addressing various patient safety and risk management issues associated with patients' use of mobile phone chargers in a general hospital setting.