Augmented Terminal Disinfection of Hospital Rooms Reduces Infection Risk

Adding disinfecting ultraviolet light to standard room cleaning after patient discharge significantly lowered the incidence of hospital-acquired infection with target organisms.

Because hospitals are potential sources of pathogenic organisms, effective strategies for room disinfection are essential. In a trial involving nine U.S. hospitals, rooms previously occupied by patients infected or colonized with a target organism (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Clostridium difficile, or multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter) were disinfected after discharge with one of four strategies: standard (quaternary ammonium disinfectant or, for C. difficile-exposed rooms, bleach); standard plus disinfecting ultraviolet (UV-C) light; bleach; or bleach plus UV-C. Hospitals were randomized to a sequence of strategies, with each hospital using every strategy over four consecutive 7-month peri…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Augmented Terminal Disinfection of Hospital Rooms Reduces Infection Risk

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Reviewing Author