White paper About the Role of Doors in Limiting the Risk of Infection in Hospitals

Insulation and air control are of great importance when limiting the risk of infection in hospitals and care centers. Ensuring care and patient safety offers visitors and healthcare staff optimal protection against infectious diseases. Metaflex endorses this importance and we would like to share our knowledge with you.

Pathogens can spread in different ways. For instance through droplets in the air that are released while coughing or sneezing. These droplets quickly fall to the ground, which means their range does not extend beyond about a metre. Other pathogens can travel further through the air because they remain airborne as a mist of microscopically small droplets. This means that a single infected person can infect all others in the same space. Therefore, it is important to limit the movement of air from one space to another as much as possible. Such an air exchange may take place when a door of an isolation room or operating room is opened. It is impossible to prevent this, of course. Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge and minimise the air exchange.
Research shows that there are various solutions to limit and control air transport in order to create a safe working and living environment in hospitals and care facilities. For example, airflows can be managed by means of temperature and pressure differences. However, unfortunately, these control methods are not enough in and of themselves.

In addition to climate control, the use of doors plays a significant role in controlling air transport between different rooms. Scientific research shows that there is a large difference in airflows when opening a hinged versus sliding door. The type of hinged or sliding door affects the amount of air transport and thus the risk of infection for care providers or patients.

Are you curious how you can use doors to increase the safety and reduce the risk of infection in your hospital? Please download the white paper of Metaflex about the role of hinged versus sliding doors in the protection against contagious pathogens.