Going Touchless is a High-Tech Solution to Hand Hygiene Compliance

Various studies have demonstrated infections stemming from faucet aerators,⁴ splash from sink drains⁵ and handwashing machines.⁶ In a paper underwritten in part by Georgia-Pacific, a team of researchers determined the organic, microbial and staphylococcal load on contact surfaces (faucet handles, soap dispensers and paper-towel dispensers) in four British hospitals that could be touched during handwashing, and to evaluate hand-mediated cross-infection.⁷ Manual faucet handles had a higher mean ATP level than manual soap or paper-towel dispensers, yet the latter were shown to present some presence of bacterial contamination. The study showed that contamination of hand-contact surfaces could act as a reservoir for microorganisms and could contribute to hand contamination before or after handwashing. In addition, the sink environment and its organic matter could serve as a breeding ground for potential pathogens.

A number of studies confirm that paper-towel dispensers also can be implicated in the transmission of MDROs. Researchers from the United Kingdom and the United States studied the transfer and cross-contamination potential between hands, towels, and dispenser exits if one or more is contaminated using bacteria representative of the skin’s flora.⁸ They write, “Hand drying is the critical last stage of the handwashing process and needs to be implemented in a way that reduces, rather than increases, the risk of cross-contamination. This requires that the drying is effective and that contamination of hands does not take place. However, concerns are now starting to be expressed about the dispensing of handwashing materials and the functionality of dispensing systems.”^9-10

The three methods frequently used for hand drying are hot air dryers, cloth towels, and paper towels. Whereas paper towels are recognized as the most hygienic method of hand drying, paper towels, and dispensing mechanisms (levers and mount location) have been identified as potential sources of contamination, especially for paper towels hanging in sink splash zones, according to the researchers.^11-12