Bacterial contamination of anaesthetists' hands by personal mobile phone and fixed phone use in the operating theatre

Authors: Jeske, H.-C.1; Tiefenthaler, W.1; Hohlrieder, M.1; Hinterberger, G.2; Benzer, A.1
Source: Anaesthesia, Volume 62, Number 9, September 2007 , pp. 904-906(3)

Abstract:
Summary
Following hand disinfection, 40 anaesthetists working in the operating room (OR) were asked to use their personal in-hospital mobile phone for a short phone call. After use of the cell phone, bacterial contamination of the physicians' hands was found in 38/40 physicians (4/40 with human pathogen bacteria). After repeating the same investigation with fixed phones in the OR anteroom 33/40 physicians showed bacterial contamination (4/40 with human pathogen bacteria). The benefit of using mobile phones in the OR should be weighed against the risk for unperceived contamination. The use of mobile phones may have more serious hygiene consequences, because, unlike fixed phones, mobile phones are often used in the OR close to the patient.
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2007.05172.x
Affiliations: 1: Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine  2: Department of Hygiene, Innsbruck  Medical University Hospital, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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