Digital Twins for Infection Control in Hospitals: Supporting Safer Healthcare Environments

The Ongoing Challenge of Infection Control

Infection prevention and control have always been central to safe healthcare, but the COVID-19 pandemic made clear just how fragile hospitals can be when infectious diseases spread unchecked. Containing outbreaks is not only about the treatment of individual patients but also about managing movement, occupancy, air quality and cleaning practices across an entire building.

The World Health Organisation stresses the importance of hygiene, ventilation, sterilisation of medical equipment and isolation of high-risk patients. Academic studies have shown that infections are influenced not just by clinical factors but also by the way a hospital is designed and used. This is where digital technologies can provide hospitals with practical tools to improve everyday infection control.

Admission and Patient Flow: Preventing the Spread from the Start

Admission is one of the first critical points in preventing the spread of disease. Screening procedures, triage protocols and careful placement of patients all make a difference.

Using a digital twin such as Twinview, hospitals can gain a clearer understanding of how patients and staff move through different areas of a facility. The 3D model provides a live view of occupancy and building use, helping facilities and infection-control teams identify high traffic routes and areas where contact between patients and staff is most frequent.

These insights support better decisions about how to admit and separate patients safely from the moment they enter the building, reducing unnecessary contact and improving overall infection control practices.

Managing Waiting Areas and Wards

Waiting areas and wards are high-risk spaces. Overcrowding, poor ventilation, or frequent movement of staff and patients can increase transmission. Twinview can help hospitals monitor and understand these factors in real time.

Rather than promising to predict every outbreak, the value lies in providing early warnings when conditions become unsafe. If air circulation falls below a safe threshold, if occupancy levels exceed recommended limits, or if staff movement patterns are creating unnecessary contact between high and low risk areas, facilities managers can be alerted before these issues escalate. This approach allows hospitals to act quickly, rather than responding only once infections have already spread.

Smarter Cleaning and Sterilisation Routines

Cleaning and sterilisation routines are another area where virtual models can add value. Traditional schedules are often fixed, but infection risks are not uniform across a hospital. Corridors linking wards, high traffic waiting rooms, or shared equipment bays are more likely to harbour pathogens.

Twinview can use data on movement and usage to highlight where cleaning should be intensified. Instead of simply cleaning every space equally, facilities teams can direct their efforts to the areas of highest need. This makes infection control both more effective and more efficient.

Understanding and Optimising Ventilation

The role of ventilation is equally important. Studies have demonstrated that airflow patterns can influence how airborne pathogens spread within wards and surgical theatres. Twinview brings together data from HVAC systems and occupancy sensors to provide a clearer picture of air movement within a building.

If a space is identified as having poor circulation, facilities managers can be prompted to open vents, redirect airflow, or limit occupancy. Over time, these insights can inform decisions about how future hospital spaces are designed, ensuring they are safer by default.

Digital Twins as Decision-Support Tools

The benefit of this approach is that it does not rely on prediction in the strict sense. Infections are complex and influenced by countless variables, from the behaviour of pathogens to the health of individuals. Instead, digital twins act as a decision-support tool, making hidden risks visible and giving staff an early chance to intervene.

By focusing on what can be observed, such as occupancy, air quality, movement and usage, hospitals gain practical insights that improve infection control in the present moment.

The Future of Digital Twins in Healthcare

Looking ahead, a platform like Twinview could become part of the wider infection-control toolkit for the NHS and beyond. By aligning with existing policies and standards, it could help hospitals meet regulatory requirements while also providing a flexible framework to adapt to new challenges.

From admission through to discharge, every stage of a patient’s journey could be tested and refined virtually, ensuring that infection prevention is embedded in daily operations.

Twinview Today and the Road Ahead

Today, Twinview already gives hospitals the ability to see and respond to conditions that influence infection risk. By integrating live data from building management systems, IoT sensors and occupancy tools, it allows estates and infection-control teams to monitor air quality, space usage and environmental performance in real time. These insights enable faster decision-making, targeted cleaning and maintenance, and a more proactive approach to safety and compliance.

As digital twin adoption expands across healthcare, platforms like Twinview are well positioned to grow even further in capability. Future developments, such as greater use of AI analytics, deeper integration with clinical systems and enhanced modelling of patient flow will open new possibilities for infection prevention and operational efficiency.

By connecting people, data and the built environment, Twinview is already helping healthcare providers take a major step toward smarter, safer and more sustainable hospitals.