Hand hygiene, nosocomial infection and GP clinic door handle contamination: the results from 4 doors
Edwards, Harrison A., and Ludington, Eleanor G. (2015) Hand hygiene, nosocomial infection and GP clinic door handle contamination: the results from 4 doors. In: Posters from the 7th International Congress of the Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control. From: 7th International Congress of the Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control, 26-29 March 2015, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Abstract
Purpose: Healthcare workers' hand hygiene is an established principle in preventing spread of nosocomial infection. Multiple studies suggest that among healthcare workers, hand hygiene is unacceptably poor. For patients, it may be even less adequate. Therefore, a more reliably consistent means of infection control used in areas of high patient traffic may help reduce cross-contamination.
Building design-aided contamination control in medical facilities can be an adjunct to other means of control and may result in less reliance on chemical disinfection while also being less susceptible to human error, forgetfulness, and inconvenience.
It is hypothesised that a comparison of bacterial contamination of no-touch doors at GP clinics to doors with handles will demonstrate a difference in bacterial growth and hence the value of this traffic control-aided means of contamination and nosocomial infection control.
Methods: Cultures were obtained from the entrance door handles of three GP clinics that patients had to grasp to open. In addition, cultures were obtained from an automatic sliding door that opened untouched in an arrangement such that the same patient cohort entered through two sequential doors - one untouched and one touched - allowing a direct, controlled comparison of contamination and hence the efficacy of no-touch doors in medical facility design.
Results: Mixed staphylococcus species grew from the three doors that had to be grasped to open. Swabs from the sliding door produced no growth.
Conclusion: A simple change in medical facility door design in highly trafficked areas may help reduce cross-contamination.
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