Bacterial contamination of mobile phones used by healthcare workers in intensive care units in Sudan: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To determine the prevalence and bacterial profile of contamination on mobile phones used by healthcare workers (HCWs) in intensive care units (ICUs) and to evaluate mobile phone disinfection practices in hospitals in Khartoum State, Sudan.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional laboratory-based study was conducted among 44 HCWs from ICUs in four hospitals in Khartoum State, Sudan. Mobile phone swabs were cultured on Blood and MacConkey agar, and bacterial isolates were identified using conventional methods. Factors associated with bacterial contamination were assessed.

RESULTS

Bacterial growth was detected in 31 (70.5%) mobile phones. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the predominant isolate (61.3%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (12.9%), Micrococcus spp. (9.7%), Bacillus cereus (9.7%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.5%). No significant associations were found between bacterial contamination and gender, healthcare worker category, duration of phone use, or phone use inside the ICU (p > 0.05). Regular phone disinfection was significantly associated with lower bacterial contamination (33.3% vs 80.0%, p = 0.012).

CONCLUSION

Mobile phone contamination among HCWs in ICUs was common. Regular phone disinfection significantly reduced bacterial contamination, emphasizing the importance of routine mobile phone decontamination as part of infection prevention and control practices.