Copper-coated fixtures can reduce the risk of hand-transmitted infection outbreaks like gastroenteritis and keratoconjunctivitis in aged care facilities a new French study shows.
People older than 65 years have high susceptibility to healthcare-associated infections-or HAIs-with a 15-fold increase in infections in patients hospitalized for more than 30 days, compared to those whose hospital stay lasts only 2 to 7 days.
The French researchers investigated four documented outbreaks in a nursing home with two distinct wings. One wing was equipped with copper fixtures such as support bars, doorknobs and railings, and the other was not.
Residents who lived in the wing with copper fixtures had a significantly lower risk of contracting hand-transmitted diseases like eye infections and diarrhea when compared to their peers in the other wing.
The risk for contracting the airborne infection (influenza) was similar in both wings, reported Sarah Zerbib, M.D., and colleagues from Reims University Hospitals, France.
The “installation of antimicrobial copper or copper-containing surfaces could represent a relatively simple measure to help prevent healthcare-associated infections in nursing homes,” the study team concluded.
Copper’s antimicrobial properties have been recognised for thousands of years. More recently, copper surfaces have been shown to help reduce infection risk in hospital settings.
The results of this study match the largest interventional study to date to investigate the effectiveness of copper-impregnated composite hard surfaces and linens in an acute care hospital to reduce HAIs.
Study detail: https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(19)30229-4/fulltext