Infection prevention has always been a cornerstone of healthcare, but recent years have brought a sharper focus to the link between safety, security, and infection control within care environments. While hand hygiene protocols and PPE often dominate the conversation, another layer is increasingly recognized as essential: the way people, patients, and materials move through a facility.
Every doorway in a hospital or long-term care facility represents both a point of access and a point of risk. Unrestricted traffic in and out of sensitive areas, such as operating rooms, pharmacies, or nurseries, not only raises security concerns but also increases the likelihood of contamination. In high-stakes environments, ensuring that only the right individuals can enter certain spaces is as critical to infection control as sterilization practices.
Beyond access to restricted areas, everyday touchpoints such as door handles, push bars, and elevator buttons remain among the most frequently encountered surfaces by staff and patients. Reducing contact with these high-touch surfaces can significantly mitigate the spread of pathogens. This is where modern access control and architectural hardware intersect with infection prevention strategies.
The pandemic accelerated demand for touchless access technologies. Automatic door operators, sensor-based wave-to-open systems, and mobile credentials reduce physical contact with surfaces, lowering the chances of cross-contamination. Meanwhile, antimicrobial finishes on door hardware provide another layer of defence, actively reducing bacterial growth on high-use surfaces.
While these measures support infection control, they also enhance the patient experience. For example, hands-free entry is not only safer but also more accessible for patients, visitors, and staff carrying equipment. Modern healthcare facilities are also moving beyond mechanical locks toward integrated electronic access control systems. These systems centralize control of entry points and allow staff to instantly lock down areas in emergencies, monitor and audit access records to ensure compliance with standards such as HIPAA or Joint Commission accreditation, and seamlessly integrate with building management and nurse call systems. Ultimately, this helps staff respond faster while reducing unnecessary traffic in clinical zones. The result is a more connected, efficient environment where infection control, safety, and operational workflows reinforce one another.
As healthcare organizations plan renovations or new builds, infection control is no longer treated as a siloed strategy. Instead, it is integrated with security, technology, and design. A growing number of architects and facility managers are asking not just “How do we keep pathogens out?” but also “How do we keep patients and staff safe while ensuring the environment runs smoothly?”
That mindset shift is driving investment in adaptable solutions, including touchless doors in public corridors, credential-controlled access to high-risk spaces, antimicrobial finishes on high-traffic hardware, and systems that provide real-time insights into how a facility is being utilized.
Healthcare facilities benefit from access control systems designed with infection prevention and patient safety in mind. Companies that provide security and access solutions, are working closely with healthcare partners to deliver hardware and platforms tailored for medical settings. These include antimicrobial door levers and push bars, touchless wave-to-open actuators, and automatic operators that minimize hand-to-surface contact. For areas requiring heightened security, integrated electronic access control systems connect with nurse call and building management tools, enabling staff to monitor entry points, restrict access to sensitive spaces such as pharmacies or operating rooms, and maintain digital audit trails for compliance. By combining innovation in security with the principles of infection prevention, these solutions demonstrate how technology can create safer, more efficient environments across the continuum of care.
For healthcare professionals, the pandemic reinforced a lesson that had long been understood but not always prioritized: infection control depends on more than protocols and training. The built environment itself plays a vital role in limiting risk. By rethinking access control and integrating safety with infection prevention strategies, healthcare facilities can better protect patients, empower staff, and create resilient spaces for the future of care.