Colonization of personal digital assistants carried by healthcare professionals

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Ali Hassoun1, Ernestine M Vellozzi, Miriam A Smith

  • 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York 11040, USA.

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
|November 30, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Personal digital assistants (PDAs) commonly harbor microbes. Alcohol swab cleaning significantly reduced PDA microbial colonization, making 75% of devices culture negative post-cleaning.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infection Control
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are frequently used in healthcare settings.
  • Microbial contamination of PDAs poses a potential risk for healthcare-associated infections.
  • Evaluating effective disinfection methods for PDAs is crucial for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the microbial colonization levels on PDAs before and after cleaning.
  • To determine the efficacy of alcohol swabs in reducing PDA microbial load.

Main Methods:

  • Seventy-five PDAs were sampled for microbial analysis.
  • Samples were cultured to identify and quantify microbial presence.
  • PDAs were cleaned using alcohol swabs between sample collections.

Main Results:

  • Before cleaning, 96% of PDA samples showed microbial growth.
  • After cleaning with alcohol swabs, 75% of PDA samples became culture negative.
  • A statistically significant reduction in microbial colonization was observed.

Conclusions:

  • Alcohol swabs are effective in reducing microbial contamination on PDAs.
  • Regular disinfection of PDAs is recommended to minimize infection transmission risks.
  • Implementing standardized cleaning protocols for PDAs can enhance infection control measures.

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