BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION OF ANAESTHETISTS HANDS, PERSONAL MOBILE PHONES AND WRIST WATCHES USED

Background: Personal items such as mobile phones and wrist watches are commonly used by doctors working in the operation theatre. The hands and personal use items of anaesthetic doctors working in the operation theatre may serve as vectors for transmission of nosocomial pathogens among surgical patients. Our aim was to determine the hand contamination among anaesthetists working in the operation theatre and contamination of mobile phones and wrist watches of anaesthetic doctors. Method: Forty five anaesthetic doctors working in the operation theatres at Colombo South Teaching Hospital and Ratnapura General Hospital were enrolled in the study. Swabs from fingertips, keypads of mobile phones and wrist watches were taken using moist sterile swabs and plated on Mac Conkey and Blood agar plates. The bacteria isolated were identified by biochemical tests. Results: Hand washing was performed by 60 % (n=27/45) doctors entering the theatre. 95