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Abstract
Background: The use of smartphones with touch screens has become a norm for healthcare professionals (HCP). The risk of smart screen contamination has been proven, and guidelines are available to deal with possible contamination. A large number of smartphone users apply plastic or glass screen protectors onto their mobile phone screens to prevent scratches. However, these materials are not scratch proof, and their antipathogenic properties have not been studied.Methods: We have conducted a study to determine the frequency of smartphone screen protector contamination and compared the data with contamination on the bare area on the same mobile screens. The sample size included only HCPs working in acute care settings and having at least eight hours of exposure time every day.Results: A total of 64 samples were collected, which reported 62.5% (n = 40/64) positive culture swabs from the protected areas of the screen and 45.3% (n = 29/64) from the unprotected area of the screen. Micrococcus and Gram-negative rods grew only on samples taken from the protected area whereas the bare area showed no such growth. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency based on smart screen size, duration of use during duty hours, or the setting where it was used.Conclusions: Smartphone screen protectors from healthcare providers may harbor pathogenic bacteria, especially in acute care settings. Coagulase-negative Staphylococci followed by Bacillus species were the most commonly yielded bacteria among house officers and postgraduate trainees in the present study.
Highlights
With the introduction of the touchscreen smartphones genre, there has been an exponential growth in this sector
The integration of smartphones into the healthcare settings has its implications in two major areas; electrical interference with equipment [7] and as a reservoir of nosocomial organisms methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
House officers and postgraduate trainees from four major specialties were included with a frequency of 45% (n = 29/64) and 50% (n = 32/64) participants, respectively
Summary
With the introduction of the touchscreen smartphones genre, there has been an exponential growth in this sector. HCPs have adapted to the trend [2] To address this situation, health policies have been derived regarding its use in clinical settings, ranging from strict prohibition hospital-wide to relatively lax guidelines [5,6,7]. The device-associated infection rates for adult and pediatric ICUs are several times higher in developing countries than National Healthcare Safety Network's rates [9]. A large number of smartphone users apply plastic or glass screen protectors onto their mobile phone screens to prevent scratches. These materials are not scratch proof, and their antipathogenic properties have not been studied
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