Microbial contamination of mobile phones of health care providers at a teaching hospital in a hilly North Indian State

Mobile phone is a ubiquitous device used in health care settings as well. Its frequent handling, closeness to the body and heat generated during functioning provides a favourable environment for microbial contamination and growth; as well as opportunities for their transfer from one person to another through health care provider. Objective: To investigate whether health care workers mobile phones carry microbes and to identify areas or health personals where this was more common. Material and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at a medical college and its associated hospital in a northern hilly state of India to determine the prevalence of microbial contamination of mobile phones used by health care providers. Doctors, Nurses, Laboratory Technicians and Medical Interns were contacted at their place of work to collect swab samples from their mobile phones. Sample collection sites included out-patient clinics as well as in-patient wards, emergency department and intensive care unit. All health care providers available at the time of visit to these departments were included in the study. Swab samples collected were immediately transferred to microbiology department where overnight incubation in peptone water at 37°C followed by culture and appropriate testing to identify organisms was done. Result: A total of 100 swab samples were collected, 28 from doctors, 20 from nurses, 25 from technicians and 27 from medical interns. All of them except one showed growth. Single growth were 56 while 43 cultures had multiple growths. Organism of medical importance isolated included Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (CoNS), Methicillin Resistant CoNS, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Klebsiella, S. aureus, E.coli among others. Conclusion: Almost all mobile phones were contaminated, more than half of whom were harbouring pathogenic micro-organisms. It could be a major threat to the health care providers as well as patients in form of nosocomial infections.