eng Science and Education Publishing American Journal of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease 2333-1275 2021-08-04 9 1 4 10 10.12691/ajeid-9-1-2 AJEID2021912 article Muhammad Halwani mhalwani@bu.edu.sa 1 Eman Hussein 1 Hossam Al-Hawarri 2 Hanin Alghamdi 3 Horeyah Alghamdi 3 Ameera Alghamdi 3 Amjad Alzahrani 3 Ebtehal Alghamdi 3 Rawan Alghamdi 3 Lama Alowaydi 3 Linah Alghamdi 3 Ashraf Timsah 3 Khalid Alzahrani 4 Sameh Zaytoun 5 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baha University, Al Baha, Saudi Arabia Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baha University, Al Baha, Saudi Arabia Female Section, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baha University, Al Baha, Saudi Arabia Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baha University, Al Baha, Saudi Arabia Depaertmnet of Infection Prevention & Control, King Fahad Hospital, Al Baha, Saudi Arabia This study examines pathogen contamination of healthcare providers¡¯ mobile phones and its potential role in pathogen transmission at the main hospital in the Al Baha area, Saudi Arabia. Mobile phones of 166 healthcare providers were swabbed and the swabs were cultured. Healthcare providers completed a questionnaire at the same time to investigate their phone use and cleaning methods at work. The results showed that a total of 23% (38/166) of the swabbed mobile phones were contaminated by clinicians making up >52% (87/166) of the study population. It was found that neither the brand nor the type of screen protector used increased the susceptibility of phone contamination (p>0.05). Approximately 77% (128/166) of those surveyed claimed they believed mobile phone cleaning was important. Moreover, 91% (151/166) confirmed that they performed hand hygiene before and after seeing a patient. Pathogenic bacteria were cultured from 13.2% (5/38) of the contaminated phones. A minority of the study participants admitted that they neither cleaned their phones nor believed doing so was necessary. Therefore, if such ideologies exist, they could present a transmission risk to patients. Hence, all healthcare providers should practice frequent mobile phone cleaning when they are at work, and these methods should be included in infection control policies and procedures in hospitals. http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajeid/9/1/2/ajeid-9-1-2.pdf bacterial contamination mobile phones risk of transmission healthcare providers pathogens