Bacteriology & Antibiotics

Introduction: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the use of mobile phones by maternity staff of Public Hospitals in Lubumbashi and determine the bacterial contamination of mobile phones.

 

Methods: The study was a descriptive cross conducted during the period of July to December 2016. The sampling was done by volunteer staff in the maternity wards of public hospitals in Lubumbashi. Were excluded from the study personnel do not exercise care business to motherhood. A form was filled by bringing together all the data regarding the type of mobile phone caregivers (with buttons, digital and/ or digital with pouch) and the use of mobile phones during work time. Data collection was done by swabbing on phones by using ISO / DIS 14698-1. Sample analysis was performed in the laboratory of the university clinics of Lubumbashi and statistical analyses were performed using Epi Info 7.1.

 

Results: The result shows that 100% (or 54 phones) of our respondents had a mobile phone and used it in the presence of patients. The majority of staff (40/54 or 74.1%) stopped the care to answer the phone and among them, 39(97.6%) did not apply hand hygiene systematically before taking care. 51 of the 54 mobile phones sampled were contaminated (94.4%). The most isolated organisms were Escherichia coli (16.98%), Enterococcus faecalis (15.01%) and Citrobacter freundi (11.32%). The presence of bacteria on the mobile phone was significantly associated with telephone hygiene (p=0.005) and staff who stopped the call to answer the phone (p=0.001). The association between the type of telephone and the presence of the germs was not statistically significant (p=0.25).

 

Conclusion: Cell phones could play a role in the transmission of nosocomial infections. It is necessary to prohibit the use of phones during care and promote hand hygiene and the use of hydro-alcoholic solutions for

disinfecting both cell phones as hands.