Mobile phones and infection in a hospital setting

Mobile phones and infection in a hospital setting

Infection control

Health care workers hold an important role in the transmission of hospital acquired infection in a health care setting. In the current study, swab samples were taken from 140 healthcare personnel. Two samples were collected from each subject. One from mobiles and the other from hands, constituting  a total of 280 swab samples.
From 140 hand swabs taken, 121 were positive for bacterial growth and from the corresponding 140 mobile phone samples, 99 were positive. The 140 workers were divided into 4 groups and overall, technicians had the highest rate for mobile phone bacterial growth and doctors the highest for  bacterial growth on hands.

Venkatesan. A. (2015). The role of hand hygiene and mobile phones in transmitting hospital 
acquired infection. International Journal of Biomedical and Advance Research,  6(05), 435-437.

Staying healthy - preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care

Staying healthy - preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care

Children Infection control Infectious diseases

The 5th edition of Staying Healthy : Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) represents an increased focus on a risk-management approach to infection prevention and control principles in daily care activities. Staying Healthy provides educators and other staff working in education and care services with simple and effective methods for minimising the spread of disease. It contains advice on procedures and discussing exclusion periods with parents in six parts: 

• concepts of infection control 
• monitoring illness in children 
• procedures 
• issues for employers, educators and other staff 
• fact sheets on diseases common to education and care services 
• forms, useful contacts and websites.