Effects of 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes and bleachbased wipes in disinfecting nurses&#039; mobile phone: a quasi-experimental approach

Alvin Clark  M. Garlitos,; Faye  P. Tamayo,; Joyce An  A. Wenceslao,; Ma. Cassandra Mae  C. Santos,; Renz Marco  V. Batac,; Rizalyn  T. San Juan,; Marlyn  L. Vicerra,; Mildred  G. Glinoga,

Effects of 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes and bleachbased wipes in disinfecting nurses' mobile phone: a quasi-experimental approach

Abstract:

Introduction : Concerns have been increased about the use of mobile phones in hospitals as they may be vehicles for the transmission of hospital-acquired infections. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes with bleach-based wipes in decreasing bacterial colony counts of mobile phones of staff nurses. Methods : Mobile phones of staff nurses in the UERM Hospital were assigned to be disinfected with 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes or bleach-based wipes. Mobile phones were swabbed using standard techniques before and after disinfection with 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes or bleach-based wipes. Post-disinfection colony counts were compared with baseline counts in each group and compared between the two test groups. Results : There was a significant decrease in the post-disinfection mean colony count compared with the mean baseline colony count in both the 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes (p < 0.001) and bleach-based wipes (p = 0.002) groups. The decrease in the 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes group was bigger (121,635 vs 85,769 CFU/mL). The mean post-disinfection colony count of the 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes was significantly lower (p = 0.007) than the other group. Conclusion : Both 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes and bleach-based wipes are effective in decreasing bacterial colony counts of mobile phones of staff nurses. The alcohol wipes resulted in a greater decrease in colony count compared with the bleach wipes.

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