Hospital Infections: Cellphones of hospital staff riddled with bacterial: Study

[Cecil Lee]

SOURCE & CREDIT: THE SINGAPORE STRAITS TIMES, 7 MARCH 2009

Cellphones of hospital staff riddled with bacterial: Study
Tan Tock Seng Hospital has launched a campaign to promote hand hygiene among staff, patients and visitors so as to cut down on hospital-transmitted infections. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Attention: Disinfect hands before exiting

What's wrong with borrowing a hosptial staff's handphone?

PARIS: Cellphones belonging to hospital staff were found to be tainted with bacteria - including the drug-resistant MRSA superbug - and may be a source of hospital-acquired infections, according to a study released yesterday. Researchers from the Ondokuz Mayis University in Turkey tested the phones and dominant hands of 200 doctors and nurses working in hospital operating rooms and intensive care units.

Ninety-five per cent of the mobile phones were contaminated with at least one type of bacterium, with the potential to cause illnesses ranging from minor skin irritations to deadly diseases. Nearly 35 per cent carried two types of bacteria, and more than Il per cent carried three or more different species of bugs, the study found.

Most worrying, one in eight of the handsets showed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a virulent strain that has emerged as a major health threat in hospitals around the world. Only 10 per cent of staff regularly cleaned their cellphones, even if most followed hygiene guidelines for hand washing, the study noted. The researchers noted that more studies were needed to confirm their findings, which were based on a relatively small sampling. But they called for common-sense measures to help reduce the risk of contamination, especially frequent cleaning of cellphones with alcohol-based disinfectants or the use of anti-microbial materials.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE