According to the CDC, nearly two-thirds of all operations – more than 22.5 million – are performed in operating/procedure rooms. As more patients opt for ambulatory services, operating/procedure rooms are increasingly in the forefront of healthcare throughout the country. Now, more than ever, it is critical that any site offering surgical and nonsurgical procedures ensure that infectious diseases do not spread from surface to surface, room to room, and between patients. UV light offers the perfect room disinfection solution.
Why UV Light Room Disinfection for Operating/Procedure Rooms
Studies have confirmed that UV light is an effective addition to manual cleaning efforts and can help to reduce harmful pathogens quickly and efficiently. In fact, The American Journal of Infection Control notes that combining UVC technology with manual cleaning is one of the most effective ways to significantly decrease the pool of harmful pathogens that cause infection.
Exposure to UVC light reduces dangerous microorganisms. The proper dosage of UVC light – for a specific length of time and intensity – can be used to quickly and efficiently disinfect targetes areas of operating rooms and other high-traffic spaces within an operating/procedure room. The most effective UVC system will measure the actual dosage of UVC delivered to targeted areas throughout a room. This enhances efficacy when compared to time-based UVC exposure.
Reducing the number of infections can also mean significant cost savings for profit-sensitive operating/procedure rooms. EVS teams can clean rooms more efficiently with the right UVC system, accelerating turnover in busy ambulatory centers. Better Infection Prevention is also proven to help save money.
How to Select the Right UVC System for Operating/Procedure Rooms
UVC dosing works to reach targeted areas within a treated room, including those in shadowed or hard-to-reach places, by reaching areas that manual cleaning and other technology cannot. Specifically for operating/procedure rooms, RD UVC can be implemented either as a mobile or fixed system.
The original RD UVC Mobile System can be used for surgical rooms or other areas of the ambulatory center. It has a unique “pause and reposition” feature that helps operators ensure targeted areas of the room have received optimal dosage. RD UVC uses proven, patented remote sensors throughout a room that measure and ensure delivery of published UVC doses at targeted points of disinfection every time. This technology also enables staff to more quickly disinfect and return rooms to service.
The RD-Fx™ Fixed Mount System delivers an ultra-fast and effective UVC dose for reducing harmful pathogens without having to be moved or positioned with each use. The wall mounted system enables rooms to be disinfected between procedures in as little as two minutes. After delivery, it can be installed by any licensed electrician using the RD-Fx™ Fixed Mount System Installation Manual and Steriliz team support. The powerful, cloud-based reporting system, uniquely configured for your space by Steriliz experts, provides unrivaled accountability and compliance reporting.
In addition, the RD UVC Mobile System and RD-Fx™ Fixed Mount System are the only UVC disinfection systems that records and reports a calibrated dose delivered – in real-time – ensuring you have the proof of compliance data needed for potential government reporting. Critical information like date, time, operator, room number, cycle time, and delivered dose is captured to ensure delivery of infection preventing UVC doses to targeted areas in the space.
A Bundled Approach to Infection Prevention
The threat of harmful pathogens can be found throughout any medical practice. To fight these pathogens, it is vital to come up with a bundled Infection Prevention plan that specifically addresses operating/procedure rooms, patient populations, and potential risks. A bundled Infection Prevention plan incorporates multiple infection prevention tools and is easy to implement while being comprehensive and effective. The more measures an operating/procedure rooms can take to control the spread of infection, the safer patients and staff will be.
A first line of defense is hand washing and consistent glove protocol for all surgical site staff. These are two of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of infections at surgical centers. Manual cleaning and disinfection is another key element of a bundled Infection Prevention approach. It’s important, however, to also ensure surfaces are cleaned within the waiting room, procedure rooms, and check-in/out areas. In reducing environmental bioburden, potential contribution to the incidence of healthcare-associated infections is decreased.
Cleaning and disinfection will reduce, but often does not eliminate, dangerous pathogens. This is where adding the best infection prevention technology, including UVC disinfection, to a bundled approach becomes essential. Read the New England Journal of Medicine’s report on how bunding infection prevention is a key factor behind the national 25% drop in C.diff burden.
UVC Disinfection on Surfaces and in the Air
With the CDC’s recent report that Coronavirus can remain infective for up to 16 hours in respirable-sized aerosols, all healthcare leaders need to consider disinfection of not just surfaces, but the air in their facility as well. The RD UVC Mobile System and RD-Fx™ Fixed Mount System address both surface and airborne bioburdens.
Reduce Infections. Maximize Patient Confidence.
Employing a UVC disinfection system can be a critical differentiator to current and potential new ambulatory center patients. The RD UVC and RD-Fx™ add to staff cleaning efforts and lessens the risk of human error in Infection Prevention.
Deploying the best UVC hospital room disinfection system can help to strengthen the Infection Prevention plan for any operating/procedure room. UV disinfection systems can:
- Act as an adjunct to manual cleaning to help reduce the pool of pathogens present in the patient environment;
- Lessen the human error factor by delivering proven, measured doses of UV light to reduce pathogens;
- Improve patient care confidence in the operating/procedure room and partner providers;
- And proactively reduce the additional community and partner hospital costs incurred with treating preventable HAIs.
Ready to put the power of UVC disinfection to work in your operating/procedure room?
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