Cell Phones May Be Culprits in Cross-Contamination

Cell Phones Are Likely Culprits in Cross-Contamination

Health care workers’ cell phones may harbor infectious organisms, providing an opportunity for microbial transmission between health care staff, patients, and the community at large, according to a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene’s September 2012 issue.

Researchers in Elazig, Turkey, took samples from 183 mobile phones used by workers in a secondary referral hospital—94 from nurses, 32 from lab workers, and 57 from health care staff. Out of the phones tested, 179 bacterial cultures were found, including 17 of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 20 of expanded-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli—a significant contributor to hospital-acquired infections.

The phones were also categorized into two groups: those used by health care staff in the intensive care unit (ICU), and those used by non-ICU workers. Of the 179 bacterial cultures discovered, 44 were found on the phones of workers in the ICU, including two MRSA and nine ESBL E. coli samples. While the difference between the numbers of MRSA and ESBL E. coli found on the phones of both groups was not statistically significant, the numbers of ESBL E. coli found on the phones of ICU workers were notably higher than those found on the phones of non-ICU staff, suggesting that the phones of health care workers in the ICU pose an increased threat of cross-contamination.

These results suggest that formal guidelines are needed to address cell phone cross-contamination risks across all health care settings.