OBJECTIVES:

To carry out the bacteriological analysis of cell phones of the multidisciplinary health team of a Municipal Health Unit in Belém, Pará State, Brazil; establish the sensitivity profile of the species found; and evaluate the adopted hygiene measures and the level of knowledge about microbial contamination.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This is an analytical cross-sectional study in which questionnaires were applied and samples were collected from cell phones surfaces and cases. The samples were cultivated in blood agar and MacConkey medium, and bacterial identification was done through the application of specific tests. The antimicrobial sensitivity test was also performed using the disk diffusion method.

RESULTS:

Thirty-eight professionals participated in the study. Bacteria were detected in 94.7% (36/38) of the cell phones, with a predominance of Gram-positive species (82.2%) and, among these, 89.1% were resistant to penicillin G. The most prevalent species was Staphylococcus aureus (51.1%). Most respondents reported using the cell phone everywhere (97.4%) and during patient care (78.9%), 76.3% used to share it with other people, 68.4% washed their hands before or after using it and before patient care (92.1%), and 39.4% cleaned more than once a week with 70% alcohol (57.9%). In addition, most participants had a satisfactory level of knowledge about the microbial contamination of mobile phones; however, the samples from these professionals were significantly contaminated.

CONCLUSION:

Adopting correct personal and cell phone hygiene measures is essential to reduce the spread of bacteria between health professionals and patients.

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