Mobile phone use in the intensive care unit: an observational study.

Study Design and Setting This was a multi-centre observational study conducted in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of one public (Hospital 1) and one private hospital (Hospital 2). Hospital 1 is a tertiary referral public hospital specialising in cardiothoracic medicine and surgery where patients are predominantly admitted to the ICU with cardiorespiratory diagnosis, including post cardiac surgery or heart/lung transplantation. This 27-bed ICU is geographically separated into three units containing nine beds each, meaning that only one unit could be observed at any given time. Hospital 2 is a private hospital with a 15-bed ICU contained within one unit, and patients mainly admitted after cardiothoracic surgical procedures. Procedure A three-day observational study was conducted at each facility to record The number of times Health-care Workers (HCWs), patients, and visitors utilise a Mobile Phone (MP) in ICU. The area in which use of MPs occurred (e.g. patient bedspace, staff administration areas, corridors, and equipment storage spaces). The number of times that the use of MPs violated the five moments of hand hygiene, and which of the five moments were violated. Whether individuals washed their hands or changed gloves after using a MP. Whether individuals cleaned their MP prior to use, and if MPs were placed onto surfaces within the ICU after use. Observation and data collection were performed by two members of the research team who normally work in the study ICUs and whose presence would not raise suspicion. To further minimise the risk of observed HCWs, patients, and visitors altering normal behaviours, only the director of each ICU was informed about this observational study, and observational days were spaced out over a four-week period. A retrospective participant debrief document was made available to HCWs in the study ICUs after data collection was complete, providing them with study information.