Abstract
The use of mobile phones by healthcare workers is a risk factor for microorganism transmission in healthcare settings. Pathogenic bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli that are known to cause nosocomial infection have been isolated from mobile phones. In this cross-sectional study, we assess the burden and related risk factors of the bacterial colonization of healthcare workers' mobile phones. We collected samples from the mobile phones of 130 healthcare workers' in a Saudi Arabian teaching hospital, using moistened cotton swabs. The isolated organisms were identified using an automated identification and susceptibility system. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test the data. Of 130 swabs collected, 45 (34.6%) grew one species and 48 (36.9%) grew two or more. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most commonly isolated bacteria (52.3%), followed by Micrococcus and related species (25.4%), Staphylococcus hominis (13.8%), and Bacillus species (6.9%). Clinically significant microorganisms such as S. aureus and Pseudomonas sp. were identified in 2 (1.5%) samples, respectively. The odds of mobile phone colonization were 8.5 times higher (95% CI = 3.2-23.1) in the laboratory, neonatal intensive care unit, and medicine departments. Mobile phones owned for more than one year were more likely to be culture positive (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.1-7.6). In our study, the prevalence of bacterial colonization among healthcare workers' mobile phones was high. Our findings suggest that high-risk groups for mobile phone colonization-such as laboratory, neonatal intensive care unit, and medicine department staff-should be a priority for preventative measures, to improve infection control.
Highlights
The use of mobile phones by healthcare workers is a risk factor for microorganism transmission in healthcare settings
These types of bacteria tend to multiply in high temperatures, and mobile phones turned out to be ideal for such multiplication, stored as they typically are in warm environments such as handbags, briefcases, and pockets
All participants reported that the swabbed mobile phone was their primary phone, and the duration of mobile phone ownership was more than one year in most of the respondents (72.6%)—findings that tally with those from a similar local study [13]
Summary
The use of mobile phones by healthcare workers is a risk factor for microorganism transmission in healthcare settings Pathogenic bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli that are known to cause nosocomial infection have been isolated from mobile phones. The cell phones were found to harbor bacteria that are common in the skin and oral flora of humans, while the shoes’ microbiomes represented bacterial taxa normally present in the environment [5] These types of bacteria tend to multiply in high temperatures, and mobile phones turned out to be ideal for such multiplication, stored as they typically are in warm environments such as handbags, briefcases, and pockets.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
