Healthcare Derived Smart Watches and Mobile Phones are Contaminated Niches to Multidrug Resistant and Highly Virulent Microbes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

As high touch wearable devices, the potential for microbial contamination of smart watches is high. In this study, microbial contamination of smart watches of healthcare workers (HCWs) was assessed and compared to the individual's mobile phone and hands.

Methods

This study was part of a larger point prevalence survey of microbial contamination of mobile phones of HCWs at the emergency unit of a tertiary care facility. Swabs from smart watches, mobile phones and hands were obtained from four HCWs with dual ownership of these digital devices. Bacterial culture was carried out for all samples and those from smart watches and mobile phones were further assessed using shotgun metagenomic sequencing.

Results

Majority of the participants were females (n/N = 3/4; 7

SUBMITTER: Boucherabine S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9464629 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature