National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Mobile phones are used in close contact with the body and, as for most non-medical electronic equipment, there are no cleaning guidelines available that meet hospital standards, and the hygiene risk involved in using mobile phones has not yet been determined. The present study was undertaken to investigate bacterial contamination of the mobile phones of the healthcare workers employed in a tertiary care hospital and also to assess the usefulness of simple cleaning with 70% isopropyl alcohol for their decontamination. A total of 50 health care workers of a tertiary hospital were selected randomly. Growth of bacteria was identified by studying colony morphology, gram staining and by standard biochemical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity testing of isolates was done by modified Kirby-Bauer method. Mobile phones of the doctors mostly harboured commensal bacteria [Coagulase Negative Staphylococci 3 (30%), Micrococci 5(50%), aerobic bacterial spores 1(10%)] and the mobile phones of the hospital workers mostly harboured pathogenic bacteria Micrococci 3(30%), E.coli 2(20%), Klebsiella oxytoca 2 (20%) and aerobic bacterial spores 1(10%).The isolated Staphylococcus aureus isolates were resistant to Cefoxitin (MRSA).The two Klebsiella oxytoca isolates were found to be multi drug resistant. Mobile phone decontamination efficacy of 70% isopropyl alcohol in our study was about 86.6%. To prevent the potential spread of infections through mobile phones, training of the health care personnel about strict infection control practices, hand hygiene, environmental disinfection and routine decontamination of mobile phones with alcohol should be advocated to prevent the spread of infection in the hospital settings.
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