Nosocomial Infections
Docs' Cell Phones May Spread Hospital Infections
Mobile phones used by healthcare personnel in the hospital can spread dangerous infectious agents, according to investigators in Israel. Researchers randomly screened 124 hospital personnel for the germ Acinetobacter baumannii, a frequent cause of nosocomial infections and a cause of severe primary infections in immunocompromised people. They found that 12 percent of healthcare providers' cell phones were contaminated with the germ.