BackgroundThe objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of microbiological contamination of mobile phones that belong to clinicians in intensive care units (ICUs), pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), and neonatal care units (NCUs) in all public secondary care hospitals in Kuwait. The study also aimed to describe mobile phones disinfection practices as well as factors associated with mobile phone contamination.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study that included all clinicians with mobile phones in ICUs, PICUs, and NCUs in all secondary care hospitals in Kuwait. Samples for culture were collected from mobile phones and transported for microbiological identification using standard laboratory methods. Self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data on mobile phones disinfection practices.ResultsOut of 213 mobile phones, 157 (73.7 %, 95 % CI [67.2–79.5 %]) were colonized. Coagulase-negative staphylococci followed by Micrococcus were predominantly isolated from the mobile phones; 62.9 % and 28.6 % of all mobile phones, respectively. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Gram-negative bacteria were identified in 1.4 % and 7.0 % of the mobile phones, respectively. Sixty-eight clinicians (33.5 %) reported that they disinfected their mobile phones, with the majority disinfecting their mobile phones only when they get dirty. The only factor that was significantly associated with mobile phone contamination was whether a clinician has ever disinfected his/her mobile phone; adjusted odds ratio 2.42 (95 % CI [1.08–5.41], p-value = 0.031).ConclusionThe prevalence of mobile phone contamination is high in ICUs, PICUs, and NCUs in public secondary care hospitals in Kuwait. Although some of the isolated organisms can be considered non-pathogenic, various reports described their potential harm particularly among patients in ICU and NCU settings. Isolation of MRSA and Gram-negative bacteria from mobile phones of clinicians treating patients in high-risk healthcare settings is of a major concern, and calls for efforts to consider guidelines for mobile phone disinfection.

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Our survey of Scandinavian specialists indicate emergency CS practise differs from United Kingdom practices in several aspects; general anaesthesia is by the majority of Scandinavian specialists reported as the default choice for emergency CS and benchmark for decision-to-delivery interval is < 20 min. Nomenclature used for classification showed considerable variance in Norway and Sweden compared to Denmark. No joint Scandinavian guidelines exist.

(Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2018;62(2):167–176) In urgent cesarean sections (CS), time to delivery is essential for maternal and fetal outcomes. Therefore, a 4-point classification system (Lucas classification) to recognize the urgency of CS is often used to streamline communication. However, nationwide guidelines for urgent CS vary across Scandinavia, and data regarding intrauterine resuscitation, organizational factors, and auditable decision-to-delivery intervals (DDI) have not been investigated in Scandinavian countries. The authors of the present study surveyed Scandinavian anesthesiologists practicing obstetric anesthesia, to establish a consensus on current clinical practice guidelines for emergency CS.