Table 1.
Characteristics of the 114 health care workers enrolled, frequency of Enterobacteriaceae isolation, and associations
| Characteristic | n (%)* | Positive samples, n/N (%) | Risk ratio | P value | Adjusted risk ratio† | 95% CI | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital | |||||||
| A | 39 (34.2) | 39/179 (21.7) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| B | 35 (30.7) | 29/137 (21.1) | 1.02 | .906 | 1.19 | 0.70–2.01 | .523 |
| C | 40 (35.1) | 36/175 (20.5) | 0.99 | .969 | 1.36 | 0.86–2.15 | .188 |
| Occupational group | |||||||
| Physicians | 38 (33.3) | 35/175 (20.0) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| Nurses | 76 (66.7) | 69/316 (21.8) | 1.09 | .652 | 1.13 | 0.78–1.65 | .515 |
| ICU | |||||||
| Neonatology | 44 (38.6) | 36/201 (17.9) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| Pediatrics | 70 (61.4) | 68/290 (23.4) | 1.31 | .185 | 1.39 | 0.95–2.02 | .089 |
| Time working at ICU | |||||||
| <4 wk | 15 (13.2) | 13/75 (17.3) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| 4 wk–6 y | 41 (35.9) | 38/182 (20.9) | 1.20 | .483 | 1.21 | 0.71–2.06 | .492 |
| >6 y | 58 (50.9) | 53/234 (22.6) | 1.30 | .271 | 1.46 | 0.88–2.43 | .143 |
| Type of cell phone | |||||||
| With keyboard (no touchscreen) | 70 (61.4) | 74/319 (23.2) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| Touchscreen | 44 (38.6) | 30/172 (17.4) | 0.75 | .176 | 0.87 | 0.59–1.29 | .491 |
| Do you use a disinfectant on your cell phone? | |||||||
| No | 86 (76.1) | 70/371 (18.9) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| Yes | 27 (23.9) | 33/115 (28.7) | 1.52 | .043 | 1.47 | 1.01–2.16 | .047 |
| No. of times you use your cell phone while working | |||||||
| 0–5 times | 60 (52.6) | 55/262 (21.0) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| 6–10 times | 26 (22.8) | 28/115 (24.3) | 1.16 | .506 | 1.32 | 0.87–2.01 | .197 |
| >10 times | 28 (24.6) | 21/114 (18.4) | 0.88 | .612 | 0.87 | 0.57–1.35 | .545 |
| Answer for: Can bacteria be transmitted through your hands? | |||||||
| No | 11 (9.7) | 9/37 (24.3) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| Yes | 103 (90.3) | 95/454 (20.9) | 0.86 | .597 | 0.59 | 0.30–1.13 | .109 |
| Answer for: Can cell phones be contaminated with bacteria? | |||||||
| No | 20 (17.5) | 24/87 (27.6) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| I do not know | 9 (7.9) | 14/47 (29.8) | 1.08 | .785 | 0.88 | 0.48–1.60 | .673 |
| Yes | 85 (74.6) | 66/357 (18.5) | 0.67 | .053 | 0.64 | 0.43–0.97 | .034 |
| Answer for: Can bacteria be transmitted through cell phones? | |||||||
| No | 22 (19.3) | 25/99 (25.3) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| I do not know | 13 (11.4) | 18/68 (26.5) | 1.04 | .874 | 1.01 | 0.60–1.71 | .961 |
| Yes | 79 (69.3) | 61/324 (18.8) | 0.75 | .249 | 0.81 | 0.52–1.28 | .37 |
| No. of samplings | |||||||
| 1–3 | 43 (37.7) | 12/103 (11.7) | Reference | — | Reference | — | — |
| 4–6 | 59 (51.8) | 64/296 (21.6) | 1.86 | .050 | 1.77 | 0.96–3.29 | .069 |
| 7–10 | 12 (10.5) | 28/92 (30.4) | 2.61 | .005 | 2.54 | 1.35–4.82 | .004 |
CI, confidence interval; ICU, intensive care unit.
*
n represents the total number of phones included in the study.
†
Adjusted by number of samplings and the use of a disinfectant.