Abstract

MEDINA DIPS, Noelia  and  MEJIA SALAS, Héctor. SURFACE CONTAMINATION OF CELL PHONES CARRIED IN THE PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AND THE NEONATOLOGY UNIT. Rev. Méd. La Paz [online]. 2018, vol.24, n.2, pp.33-37. ISSN 1726-8958.

Introduction: Cell phones are used by health personnel on a daily basis, before or during patient's medical examination; these personnel should follow the biosafety norms, even with these devices. Objective: Determine the degree of cell surface contamination carried by the health personnel and after an intervention, verify the reduction of contamination in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the Neonatal Unit of the "Ovidio Aliaga Uría" Children's Hospital in La Paz, Bolivia. Method: Clinical trial before and after, single blind. In the first phase, sampling was done by swabbing the surfaces of cell phones for culture, while a survey about the use of these devices was applied. In the second phase, the intervention was performed, with cleaning areas for cell phones, and a new sample was taken afterwards. Results: All health personnel from PICU and Neonatology Unit were included. 72% use their cell phone in their Unit. In Phase 1, 69% of cell phones were contaminated in the Neonatology Unit, 42% in the PICU, 52.1% in both Units and in Phase 2, 50% in Neonatology, 10% in PICU, with 23.9% in both Units, the microorganism found most frequently was E. coli strain ESBL. The RR of possibility of contamination after the intervention was 0.46 (95% CI 0.25-0.82); in the Neonatology Unit it reduced contamination by 19% and in the PICU by 33%. Conclusion: Contamination was detected on the surface of cell phones used by the health personnel of the Units involved, it is possible to reduce it with simple methods such as cleaning devices.

Keywords : Cell phone; infection control; bacterial contamination.

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