Use of a door handle disinfection system to reduce the risks associated with microbial loads on fomites in a healthcare setting

Background
Pathogenic organisms, including those that are multidrug resistant, can survive for extended periods of time on surfaces. Numerous studies show that contaminated hand-touch sites, such as door handles, pose a serious risk for onward transfer to patients.

Aim
To compare microbial levels on the handles of ten frequently used door locations, with and without a door handle disinfection system in place, in a busy rehabilitation unit consisting of two wards at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin.

Methods
A door handle disinfection system (Handle Hygiene®), utilizing an atomizing pump (non-aerosol), automatically delivered a pulse of disinfectant to a door handle each time the door was used. Microbial levels on the handles of frequently used door locations were monitored over a 16-week period, to compare microbial loads with and without a door handle disinfection system in place. Samples of two disinfectant types, Steri-7 (broad-spectrum disinfectant) and Dew (hypochlorous acid), were used in the study.

Findings
Levels of ≤2.5 cfu/cm2 were recorded on 93% of samples collected where a door handle disinfection system was in use, with 66% of samples showing no microbes recovered. Where a level of >2.5 cfu/cm2 was recorded, the door handle disinfection system reduced this to a negligible level by the time the next sample was taken, compared with several days where no system was in place.

Conclusion
Door handle disinfection systems offer an effective solution to reducing microbial levels on frequently touched door handles, as an automated solution with minimal additional costs.