Whole-Room Disinfection Systems
Automated units reach the surfaces that manual cleaning misses.
T
he first thing to know — and to always keep in mind — about
whole-room disinfection systems is that they don't replace tra-
ditional cleaning methods. They don't take the elbow grease
out of wiping down high-touch areas or eliminate the need to clean
floors with hospital-grade cleaner and disinfectant.
The key word is augment. In the increasingly challenging battle
against pathogens, whole-room systems give you an added layer of
security on top of the standard cleaning and disinfection policies and
procedures you already have in place. But if you don't use traction and
friction to remove the dirt first, neither UVC light, hydrogen peroxide,
ozone nor anything else can get through the cover that dirt provides, to
actually disinfect target surfaces.
Finding the time
The biggest challenge in outpatient environments — beyond the cost
— is likely to be incorporating such systems into your routine.
Because all require a chunk of time to do the job (15 minutes at mini-
mum), a typical busy outpatient surgical facility probably isn't going
to find it realistic to use them before or after every case.
With UVC light systems, you may have to move equipment around,
or even out of the room, to eliminate shadowing. If the light doesn't
hit a particular spot, it doesn't disinfect it. With all the equipment pres-
ent in a typical OR, that can be a challenge.
With machines that use chemicals like hydrogen peroxide and vari-
ous other combination mists and vapors, you may have to tape up air
vents to prevent dangerous concentrations of chemicals from getting
into HVAC ducts. Time may also be needed for chemicals to suffi-
ciently dissipate before people can re-enter a disinfected room.
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James Davis, MSN, CIC