Longitudinal Study of Viral and Bacterial Contamination of Hospital Pediatricians’ Mobile Phones

Abstract

Mobile phones (MPs) of healthcare workers (HCWs) may represent an important source of transmission of infectious agents. This longitudinal study documents the contamination of these tools. Ten MPs handled by senior pediatricians were sampled once a week during 23 weeks in three pediatric wards of the University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, France. Cultures were performed for bacteria and multiplex PCR assays for a panel of respiratory and enteric viruses. A questionnaire on hygiene habits regarding phoning and care was filled-in by pediatricians before and after the study. From a total of 230 samples, 145 (63%) were contaminated by at least one pathogen. The MPs from emergency departments were the most impacted. Viruses were detected in 179 samples; bacteria were isolated in 59 samples. Contamination increased during the winter epidemic peak. A cross-contamination by Paracoccus yeei between hands and MPs of different HCWs was demonstrated. The communication of the study results influenced the hygiene behaviors. This study highlights the contamination of MPs by pathogens that are resistant in the environment, and its sustainability along the winter season. The role of MPs as vectors of nosocomial infection needs to be better investigated.

Uso de celulares e infecções relacionadas à assistência à saúde: revisão integrativa

“…A análise dos artigos selecionados possibilitou a divisão em três principais temas: contaminação dos celulares por agentes patogênicos 12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]23,27 , desinfecção e descontaminação dos celulares 13,22,24,26 e contaminação de celulares de estudantes 11,25 .…”

“…Foram encontrados o total de 1.082 artigos. Após leitura dos títulos e resumos, retirada dos artigos repetidos em diferentes bases de dados e avaliação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, chegou-se ao total de 29 artigos [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] , conforme apresentado na Tabela 1. Após a leitura na íntegra, chegou-se ao número de 18 artigos na amostra.…”

The bacterial colonization of healthcare workers’ mobile phones in a large tertiary care teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia

“…There is strong evidence from the published literature that contamination of the healthcare environment with microorganisms is a source of nosocomial infections [7,14,15]. In recent years, the use of mobile devices has increased, and this carries a subsequent risk that they too may be colonized by multidrug-resistant microorganisms from the clinical setting.…”

“…Such organisms are known to cause opportunistic infections in humans, given suitable conditions [6]. A review article published in 2009 emphasized the role of mobile phones as reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens [7], but there remains a lack of literature specifically pertaining to microorganism colonization of mobile phones in hospital settings in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, in the present study, we propose to identify the burden and related risk factors for the bacterial colonization of HCW's mobile phones in one of the major teaching hospitals in the Kingdom.…”

KONTAMINASI BAKTERI PADA TELEPON GENGGAM PESERTA PROGRAM PENDIDIKAN DOKTER SPESIALIS-1 ILMU KESEHATAN ANAK, FAKULTAS KEDOKTERAN, UNIVERSITAS AIRLANGGA-RSUD Dr. SOETOMO

“…Persentase telepon genggam yang terkontaminasi bakteri pada penelitian ini lebih rendah daripada penelitian sebelumnya yang dilakukan pada telepon genggam dokter spesialis anak di University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Perancis, tahun 2015-2016 dan tenaga medis di NICU Mohamed VI University Hospital, Marrakesh, Maroko, tahun 2016, menunjukkan sekitar 94% hingga 100% telepon genggam yang terkontaminasi bakteri. 21,22 Perbedaan persentase telepon genggam yang terkontaminasi bakteri terjadi karena peneltian ini dilakukan pada masa pandemi COVID-19, sehingga 32% dari 25 sampel melapisi telepon genggam dengan plastik dan sering mengganti lapisan plastiknya sebagai bentuk pencegahan penularan COVID-19.…”