Novel Technology for Door Handle Design

We note the recent article on ‘The potential of alcohol release doorplates to reduce surface contamination during hand contact’ in the Journal of Hospital Infection [1]. We agree that reducing microbial contamination of frequently touched door surfaces and bacterial transfer via hands could feasibly reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) [1–3]. We recently examined a novel prototype door handle with precisely the same intention. This door handle is steel-framed and vertically aligned with the hand-grip portion encased by a specially prepared surface material (Figure 1).