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Prevalence of bacterial contamination of touchscreens and posterior surfaces of smartphones owned by healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study.
Kuriyama, Akira; Fujii, Hiroyuki; Hotta, Aki; Asanuma, Rina; Irie, Hiromasa.
  • Kuriyama A; Emergency and Critical Care Center, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Okayama, Japan. ak13568@kchnet.or.jp.
  • Fujii H; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
  • Hotta A; Intensive Care Unit, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
  • Asanuma R; Emergency Intensive Care Unit, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
  • Irie H; Department of Anesthesiology, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
BMC Infect Dis ; 21(1): 681, 2021 Jul 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1317122
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Mobile phones used by healthcare workers (HCWs) are contaminated with bacteria, but the posterior surface of smartphones has rarely been studied. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of microbial contamination of touchscreens and posterior surfaces of smartphones owned by HCWs.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional study of smartphones used by HCWs employed at two intensive care units at a Japanese tertiary care hospital was performed. Bacteria on each surface of the smartphones were isolated separately. The primary outcomes were the prevalence of microbial contamination on each surface of smartphones and associated bacterial species. Fisher's exact test was used to compare dichotomous outcomes.

RESULTS:

Eighty-four HCWs participated in this study. The touchscreen and posterior surface were contaminated in 27 (32.1%) and 39 (46.4%) smartphones, respectively, indicating that the posterior surface was more frequently contaminated (p = 0.041). Bacillus species and coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated from each surface of the smartphones.

CONCLUSIONS:

The posterior surface of a smartphone was more significantly contaminated with bacteria than the touchscreen, regardless of having a cover. Therefore, routine cleaning of the posterior surface of a smartphone is recommended.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Staphylococcus / Bacillus / Equipment Contamination / Health Personnel / Smartphone Type of study: Observational study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: English Journal: BMC Infect Dis Journal subject: Communicable Diseases Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12879-021-06379-y

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Staphylococcus / Bacillus / Equipment Contamination / Health Personnel / Smartphone Type of study: Observational study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: English Journal: BMC Infect Dis Journal subject: Communicable Diseases Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12879-021-06379-y