OBJECTIVE To explore the characteristics of microbial contamination on the hands and mobile phone surfaces of hospital staff, differences among various job positions and the correlation between the two, providing a basis for hospital-associated infection prevention and control.
METHODS In Apr.2025, a survey was conducted on microbial contamination of the hands and mobile phone surfaces of 101 staff members (doctors, nurses and support staff/nursing aides) at the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University.The study analyzed bacterial colony counts, bacterial species and pathogen detection rates.Correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between hygiene indicators on hands and mobile phone surfaces, while variance analysis and chi-square tests were employed to compare contamination differences among various job positions.
RESULTS A total of 249 bacterial strains were detected from hand samples and 272 strains were detected from mobile phone surfaces, predominantly coagulase-negative staphylococci (42.57% and 47.43%, respectively).Nurses exhibited the best hand and mobile phone hygiene, while support staff/nursing aides had the highest contamination levels.Positive correlations were observed between bacterial colony counts (r=0.449, P < 0.001), bacterial species (r=0.362, P < 0.001) and pathogen carriage (r=0.346, P < 0.001) on hands and mobile phones.
CONCLUSIONS Bacterial contamination on the hands and mobile phone surfaces of hospital staff is widespread, with nurses showing the least contamination and support staff/nursing aides requiring special attention.The close correlation between hand and mobile phone contamination suggests that mobile phones may serve as carriers for pathogen transmission.Enhanced hand hygiene and mobile phone disinfection management should be implemented, with differentiated prevention and control measures tailored to different job positions to reduce the risk of hospital-associated infections.
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