Abstract
Background
Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are endemic in hospitals throughout Ireland and present a major concern in hospital hygiene causing significant morbidity, mortality and imposing a significant financial burden. This is particularly true in the field of orthopaedic surgery where a nosocomial MRSA infection can prove catastrophic to a patient's recovery from surgery. Much has been made of the possibility of healthcare workers acting as vectors for the transmission of MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria in the hospital setting. This focus has led to the implementation of strict hand decontamination policies in hospitals in order to counter the possibility of staff - patient transmission of such bacteria. Investigations have also attempted to assess the bacterial contamination of work uniforms such as white coats, ties and scrubs. An area that has been generally overlooked however, is the assessment of the bacterial contamination some of the most commonly handled items of many healthcare workers, namely pagers and mobile phones. In this study we aimed to assess the potential for these items to act as reservoirs for MRSA contamination and thus propagate its transmission in the hospital setting.
Methods
Our study was performed at Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin. We swabbed and cultured a sample of the pagers and mobile phones of staff. Questionnaires to assess the demographics of the staff sampled as well as the routine cleaning habits for their phone/pagers were also administered.
Results
Bacteria were isolated from all pagers and mobile phones. Included in these isolated bacteria were MRSA and other potentially pathogenic organisms. Regular cleaning/disinfection of mobile phones and pagers was virtually non existent, either on a personal or institutional level.
Conclusions
Mobile phones/pagers have thus far been generally overlooked as a possible reservoir and vector for the transmission of potentially pathogenic bacteria such as MRSA. We suggest that education about these possibilities takes place along with regular disinfection of these items in order to reduce the transmission of MRSA and other potentially pathogenic bacteria in the hospital setting.
