BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION OF MOBILE PHONES IN A HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE CENTERS IN DUHOK CITY, IRAQ
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36320/ajb/v14.i3.22167Keywords:
Mobile Phone, Bacterial Contamination, Health professionals, Duhok city, IraqAbstract
The indiscriminate use of cell phones by health professionals within the Intensive Care (ICU) Unit is observed. The objectives of this study are to investigate whether there is a bacterial contamination to cell phones of the health professionals and to know whether these professionals perform any type of disinfection on their cell phones. One hundred eighty-six swabs were collected from the surface of cell phones for health worker staff at different hospitals and health care centers in the Duhok city, Iraq. To identify whether professionals performed any type of cleaning agents on their device, a semi-structured questionnaire was applied. It was found that (56.99%) of the mobile phones surface were contaminated with various bacterial profile of them pathogenic. The most prevalent isolated bacteria were: Staphylococcus epidermidis (40.16%), followed by Staphylococcus lentus (33.07%), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (3.15%) and Pantoea spp. (3.15%) show some results of whether professionals performed any type of cleaning on their device. It is understood that there is an urgent need for awareness, through continuing education, for the hospital community.
Downloads
References
1. Rodriguez, C.J.A., Zuniga, G.A., Gonzalez, Y.M.G.E., Favela, H.J.M.J. and Garcia, L.C., 2015. Microorganismos de interés clínico aislados de teléfonos móviles. Química Viva, 14(1): 103-110.
2. Karabay, O., Kocoglu, E. and Tahtaci, M., 2007. The role of mobile phones in the spread of bacteria associated with nosocomial infections. The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, 1(1):72-73.
3. Delgado, M. and Bravo, J., 2011. Dimensiones de análisis de la telefonía móvil como industria y objeto cultural. Virtualis, 2(4): 93-126.
4. Fandoh, M. E., 2018 Mobile Phone Use and Associated Bacterial Contamination In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Of The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, University Of Ghana, College Of Health Sciences. 54
5. Amoun A, Zinab, A., and Kafa, L. 2020. Investigating the bacterial contamination of mobile phones among dental students in faculty of dentistry Tishreen University. International Journal of Scientific Research, 8(12): 29-31.
6. Fard, R.H., Moradi, M. and Hashemipour, M.A., 2018. Evaluation of the cell phone microbial contamination in dental and engineering schools: Effect of antibacterial spray. Journal of epidemiology and global health, 8(3-4): 143-148.
7. Chawla, K., Mukhopadhayay, C., Gurung, B., Bhate, P. and Bairy, I., 2009. Bacterial ‘cell’Phones: Do cell phones carry potential pathogens? Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences, 8(1): 1-5.
8. Bhumbla, U., Ahmad, S., Mathur, D., Bandey, L. and Mathur, G., 2016. Study on microbial contamination of mobile phones and their role in nosocomial infections in a tertiary hospital of south India. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research, 9(3): 201-202.
9. Bodena, D., Teklemariam, Z., Balakrishnan, S. and Tesfa, T., 2019. Bacterial contamination of mobile phones of health professionals in Eastern Ethiopia: antimicrobial susceptibility and associated factors. Tropical medicine and health, 47(1): 1-10.
10. Shahaby, A.F., Awad, N.S., El-tarras, A.E. and Bahobial, A.S., 2012. Mobile phone as potential reservoirs of bacterial pathogens. African Journal of Biotechnology, 11(92):15896-15904.
11. Ulger, F., Esen, S., Dilek, A., Yanik, K., Gunaydin, M. and Leblebicioglu, H., 2009. Are we aware how contaminated our mobile phones with nosocomial pathogens? Annals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials, 8(1):1-4.
12. Karkee, P., Madhup, S.K., Humagain, P., Thaku, N. and Timilsina, B., 2017. Mobile phone: a possible vector of bacterial transmission in hospital setting. Kathmandu Univ Med J, 15(59): 217-221.
13. Chaka, T., Misgana, G.M., Feye, B.W. and Kassa, R.T., 2016. Bacterial isolates from cell phones and hands of health care workers: a cross sectional study in pediatric wards at Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. J Bacteriol Parasitol, 7(4): 1-6.
14. Jeske, H.C., Tiefnthaler, W., Hohlrieder, M., Hinterberger, G. and BENZER, A., 2007. Bacterial contamination of anaesthetists' hands by personal mobile phone and fixed phone use in the operating theatre. Anaesthesia, 62(9): 904-906.
15. Brady, R.R., Verran, J., Damani, N.N. and Gibb, A.P., 2009. Review of mobile communication devices as potential reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens. Journal of Hospital Infection, 71(4): 295-300.
16. Manning, M.L., Davis, J., Sparnon, E. and Ballard, R.M., 2013. iPads, droids, and bugs: Infection prevention for mobile handheld devices at the point of care. American journal of infection control, 41(11): 1073-1076.
17. Pillet, S., Berthelot, P., Gagneux-, A., MORY, O., GAY, C., Viallon, A., Lucht, F., Pozzetto, B. and Botelho-Nevers, E., 2016. Contamination of healthcare workers' mobile phones by epidemic viruses. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 22(5): 1-6.
18. Nwankwo, E.O., Ekwunife, N. and Mofolorunsho, K.C., 2014. Nosocomial pathogens associated with the mobile phones of healthcare workers in a hospital in Anyigba, Kogi state, Nigeria. Journal of epidemiology and global health, 4(2):135-140.
19. Steinhubl, S.R., Muse, E.D. and Topol, E.J., 2013. Can mobile health technologies transform health care? Jama, 310(22):2395-2396.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Ayas Hussein Omar, Adel Talib Mohammed Al-Saeed
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
which allows users to copy, create extracts, abstracts, and new works from the Article, alter and revise the Article, and make commercial use of the Article (including reuse and/or resale of the Article by commercial entities), provided the user gives appropriate credit (with a link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI), provides a link to the license, indicates if changes were made and the licensor is not represented as endorsing the use made of the work.
