Microbial Contamination of Mobile Phones Used by Healthcare Workers at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Awka

Mobile phones are ubiquitous tools in modern healthcare settings yet serve as potential fomites for pathogen transmission between healthcare workers and patients, a risk that is underappreciated in Nigerian hospital infection control practice. This study investigates microbial contamination of mobile phones used by healthcare workers at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Awka, Anambra State, South East Nigeria. Swab samples were collected from the surfaces of 80 mobile phones belonging to doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, and physiotherapists across five clinical departments. Samples were cultured on blood agar and MacConkey agar, with identification by standard biochemical methods and antibiotic susceptibility testing using disk diffusion. All 80 phones (100 percent) yielded bacterial growth. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 61 percent of phones, coagulase-negative staphylococci from 44 percent, and Klebsiella species from 18 percent. MRSA phenotype was confirmed in 22 percent of Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Phones belonging to surgical ward workers showed the highest contamination levels. Frequency of phone cleaning with antiseptic agents was the strongest negative predictor of contamination load. The study highlights mobile phones as an underappreciated infection transmission vector in Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Recommendations include integration of phone decontamination in hand hygiene policy and provision of antimicrobial screen wipes in clinical areas. Keywords: mobile phone contamination, healthcare workers, MRSA, NAUTH, fomite