tion solution is right for your facility? Here's a review.
Germ-zapping robots
These robots emit UV-C radiation that destroys pathogenic organ-
isms by damaging their cellular DNA. Organisms are responsive to UV
radiation based on a number of factors, including the type of organism,
temperature of the surrounding environment, and the UV light intensity
and wavelength.
Some UV robots only emit radiation continuously on one specific
wavelength, like mercury UV robots. Other, newer models emit UV
light in a pulse across the entire spectrum of UV light, and some stud-
ies suggest that these types of robots are more effective in decreasing
hospital-acquired infections in non-ICU areas.
The robotic systems are portable and can easily move from room to
room. Some generate reports to verify which rooms have been treat-
ed, who the robot operator was, how often the room was cleaned and
how much time was spent disinfecting the room. Certain facilities also
choose to permanently install overhead UV lights for disinfection pur-
poses. Similar to other overhead light fixtures, these UV lights are
designed to provide continuous UV radiation to small rooms and sur-
gical suites. They're effective in killing pathogens on surfaces in as lit-
tle as 5 minutes.
"The speed in which the robots were able to accomplish the kill
dose was much quicker (than other methods)," says Ann Marie Pettis,
RN, BSN, CIC, director of infection prevention at University of
Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center." Most of our rooms took 15 to 20
minutes to disinfect."
Just as with traditional methods of disinfection, there are downsides
to using UV robots and overheads. Some of these products have warm-
up and cool-down cycles, so they can't be used back-to-back in contam-
7 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6
