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.