Mobile phones of paediatric hospital staff are never cleaned and commonly used in toilets with implications for healthcare nosocomial diseases

M. Olsen; A. Lohning; M. Campos; P. Jones; S. McKirdy; R. Alghafri; L. Tajouri

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-92360-3

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Mobile phones of paediatric hospital staff are never cleaned and commonly used in toilets with implications for healthcare nosocomial diseases

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Mobile phones of paediatric hospital staff are never cleaned and commonly used in toilets with implications for healthcare nosocomial diseases

M. Olsen, A. Lohning, M. Campos, P. Jones, S. McKirdy, R. Alghafri and L. Tajouri

Scientific Reports, Vol.11(1), Art. 12999

2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92360-3

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Abstract

An ever-increasing number of medical staff use mobile phones as a work aid, yet this may pose nosocomial diseases. To assess and report via a survey the handling practices and the use of phones by paediatric wards healthcare workers. 165 paediatric healthcare workers and staff filled in a questionnaire consisting of 14 questions (including categorical, ordinal and numerical data). Analysis of categorical data used non-parametric techniques such as the Chi-squared test. Although 98% of respondents (165 in total) report that their phones may be contaminated, 56% have never cleaned their devices. Of the respondents that clean their devices, 10% (17/165) had done so with alcohol swabs or disinfectant within that day or week; and an additional 12% respondents (20/165) within that month. Of concern, 52% (86/165) of the respondents use their phones in the bathroom, emphasising the unhygienic environments in which mobile phones/smartphones are constantly used. Disinfecting phones is a practice that only a minority of healthcare workers undertake appropriately. Mobile phones, present in billions globally, are therefore Trojan Horses if contaminated with microbes and potentially contributing to the spread and propagation of micro-organisms as per the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the world.

Details

Title: Mobile phones of paediatric hospital staff are never cleaned and commonly used in toilets with implications for healthcare nosocomial diseases
Authors/Creators: M. Olsen (Author/Creator) - Bond University
A. Lohning (Author/Creator) - Bond University
M. Campos (Author/Creator)
P. Jones (Author/Creator) - Bond University
S. McKirdy (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
R. Alghafri (Author/Creator) - Bond University
L. Tajouri (Author/Creator) - Bond University
Publication Details: Scientific Reports, Vol.11(1), Art. 12999
Publisher: Springer Nature
Identifiers: 991005542466707891
Copyright: © 2021 The Authors.
Murdoch Affiliation: Harry Butler Institute
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 1 Clinical & Life Sciences; 1.23 Antibiotics & Antimicrobials; 1.23.173 MRSA and VRE
Web Of Science research areas: Infectious Diseases
ESI research areas: Multidisciplinary