Medical students’ mobile phones: hotspots for antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria

Abstract

Introduction

The mobile phones (MPs) of medical personnel can be easily and rapidly contaminated by bacteria from patients or medical devices and by medical school or hospital environments. This is the first study set in Aljouf Province, Saudi Arabia, to assess the prevalence of bacterial contamination of medical students’ MPs, the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates and their independent risk factors.

Methodology

Swabs of 250 MPs of medical students were processed using standard microbiological procedures. Data were collected to identify independent contamination risk factors. The automated MicroScan WalkAway Microbiology System was used for bacterial isolate identification and antimicrobial sensitivity/resistance testing.

Results

The prevalence of MPs’ bacterial contamination was 56.00 % (n = 140/250). Multivariate logistic regression and stratified analyses revealed significant associations between MP bacterial contamination and a 10-minute duration since the last hand wash (odds ratio [OR] = 1.788; p = 0.037*) and the presence of breaks in the screen or screen protector of MPs (OR = 1.840; p = 0.038*). The most common bacterial contaminants were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus epidermidis, at frequencies of 31.79 %, 28.57 % and 19.29 %, respectively. The high frequency of Gram-negative bacterial contaminants in our geographical area was striking. Although Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates were completely sensitive, Gram-negative isolates were found to have varying degrees of reduced susceptibility to some antimicrobials.

Conclusion

Our findings support previous reports about the potential role of medical students’ MPs in the transmission of bacteria between community, medical education and healthcare (HC) settings. There is an urgent need to implement policies and regulations for MP use and decontamination, especially in medical education and HC settings. To minimise bacterial contamination risk, medical students should frequently wash their hands when in HC, medical education and community settings and ensure that their MP screens and screen protectors remain intact.