Are healthcare workers’ mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literature
Mobile communication devices help accelerate in-hospital flow of medical information, information sharing and querying, and contribute to communications in the event of emergencies through their application and access to wireless media technology. Healthcare-associated infections remain a leading an...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
2015-10-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Infection in Developing Countries |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/6104 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850193350853918720 |
|---|---|
| author | Fatma Ulger Ahmet Dilek Saban Esen Mustafa Sunbul Hakan Leblebicioglu |
| author_facet | Fatma Ulger Ahmet Dilek Saban Esen Mustafa Sunbul Hakan Leblebicioglu |
| author_sort | Fatma Ulger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mobile communication devices help accelerate in-hospital flow of medical information, information sharing and querying, and contribute to communications in the event of emergencies through their application and access to wireless media technology. Healthcare-associated infections remain a leading and high-cost problem of global health systems despite improvements in modern therapies.
The objective of this article was to review different studies on the relationship between mobile phones (MPs) and bacterial cross-contamination and report common findings.
Thirty-nine studies published between 2005 and 2013 were reviewed. Of these, 19 (48.7%) identified coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), and 26 (66.7%) identified Staphylococcus aureus; frequency of growth varied. The use of MPs by healthcare workers increases the risk of repetitive cyclic contamination between the hands and face (e.g., nose, ears, and lips), and differences in personal hygiene and behaviors can further contribute to the risks.
MPs are rarely cleaned after handling. They may transmit microorganisms, including multiple resistant strains, after contact with patients, and can be a source of bacterial cross-contamination. To prevent bacterial contamination of MPs, hand-washing guidelines must be followed and technical standards for prevention strategies should be developed.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-114e95dbacdb449094fde16cb6567e17 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1972-2680 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-10-01 |
| publisher | The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Infection in Developing Countries |
| spelling | doaj-art-114e95dbacdb449094fde16cb6567e172025-08-20T02:14:18ZengThe Journal of Infection in Developing CountriesJournal of Infection in Developing Countries1972-26802015-10-0191010.3855/jidc.6104Are healthcare workers’ mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literatureFatma Ulger0Ahmet Dilek1Saban Esen2Mustafa Sunbul3Hakan Leblebicioglu4Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, TurkeyOndokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, TurkeyOndokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, TurkeyOndokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, TurkeyOndokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, TurkeyMobile communication devices help accelerate in-hospital flow of medical information, information sharing and querying, and contribute to communications in the event of emergencies through their application and access to wireless media technology. Healthcare-associated infections remain a leading and high-cost problem of global health systems despite improvements in modern therapies. The objective of this article was to review different studies on the relationship between mobile phones (MPs) and bacterial cross-contamination and report common findings. Thirty-nine studies published between 2005 and 2013 were reviewed. Of these, 19 (48.7%) identified coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), and 26 (66.7%) identified Staphylococcus aureus; frequency of growth varied. The use of MPs by healthcare workers increases the risk of repetitive cyclic contamination between the hands and face (e.g., nose, ears, and lips), and differences in personal hygiene and behaviors can further contribute to the risks. MPs are rarely cleaned after handling. They may transmit microorganisms, including multiple resistant strains, after contact with patients, and can be a source of bacterial cross-contamination. To prevent bacterial contamination of MPs, hand-washing guidelines must be followed and technical standards for prevention strategies should be developed. https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/6104healthcare workersmobile phonesbacterianosocomial infectioncontamination |
| spellingShingle | Fatma Ulger Ahmet Dilek Saban Esen Mustafa Sunbul Hakan Leblebicioglu Are healthcare workers’ mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literature Journal of Infection in Developing Countries healthcare workers mobile phones bacteria nosocomial infection contamination |
| title | Are healthcare workers’ mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literature |
| title_full | Are healthcare workers’ mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literature |
| title_fullStr | Are healthcare workers’ mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literature |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are healthcare workers’ mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literature |
| title_short | Are healthcare workers’ mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literature |
| title_sort | are healthcare workers mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections review of the literature |
| topic | healthcare workers mobile phones bacteria nosocomial infection contamination |
| url | https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/6104 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fatmaulger arehealthcareworkersmobilephonesapotentialsourceofnosocomialinfectionsreviewoftheliterature AT ahmetdilek arehealthcareworkersmobilephonesapotentialsourceofnosocomialinfectionsreviewoftheliterature AT sabanesen arehealthcareworkersmobilephonesapotentialsourceofnosocomialinfectionsreviewoftheliterature AT mustafasunbul arehealthcareworkersmobilephonesapotentialsourceofnosocomialinfectionsreviewoftheliterature AT hakanleblebicioglu arehealthcareworkersmobilephonesapotentialsourceofnosocomialinfectionsreviewoftheliterature |