Bacterial Contamination of Healthcare Providers’ Mobile Phones: Potential Risk of Transmission

This study examines pathogen contamination of healthcare providers’ mobile phones and its potential role in pathogen transmission at the main hospital in the Al Baha area, Saudi Arabia. Mobile phones of 166 healthcare providers were swabbed and the swabs were cultured. Healthcare providers completed a questionnaire at the same time to investigate their phone use and cleaning methods at work. The results showed that a total of 23% (38/166) of the swabbed mobile phones were contaminated by clinicians making up >52% (87/166) of the study population. It was found that neither the brand nor the type of screen protector used increased the susceptibility of phone contamination (p>0.05). Approximately 77% (128/166) of those surveyed claimed they believed mobile phone cleaning was important. Moreover, 91% (151/166) confirmed that they performed hand hygiene before and after seeing a patient. Pathogenic bacteria were cultured from 13.2% (5/38) of the contaminated phones. A minority of the study participants admitted that they neither cleaned their phones nor believed doing so was necessary. Therefore, if such ideologies exist, they could present a transmission risk to patients. Hence, all healthcare providers should practice frequent mobile phone cleaning when they are at work, and these methods should be included in infection control policies and procedures in hospitals.