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Use of Cellular Telephones and Transmission of Pathogens by Medical Staff in New York and Israel

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Joseph Gil Goldblatt ,
Iris Krief ,
Tal Klonsky ,
Daniel Haller ,
Victor Milloul ,
Diane M. Sixsmith ,
Isaac Srugo  and
Israel Potasman
Joseph Gil Goldblatt*
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Iris Krief
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Tal Klonsky
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Daniel Haller
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Victor Milloul
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Diane M. Sixsmith
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New York Hospital of Queens, Flushing Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York
Isaac Srugo
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Israel Potasman
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
*
Infectious Diseases Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, PO Box 4940, Haifa 31048, Israel (jgold87@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Hands and instruments used by healthcare workers may serve as vectors for the nosocomial transmission of microorganisms. The use of cellular telephones by medical personnel and the associated nosocomial transmission of pathogens have not been thoroughly examined. Findings from our study show that cellular telephones are commonly used by hospital personnel, even during patient contact. One-fifth of the cellular telephones examined in this study were found to harbor pathogenic microorganisms, showing that these devices may serve as vectors for transmission to patients.

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 28 , Issue 4 , April 2007 , pp. 500 - 503
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2007

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