Evaluation of an ultraviolet room disinfection protocol to decrease nursing home microbial burden, infection and...

Area of Science:

• Infection Control
• Environmental Hygiene
• Public Health

Background:

• Nursing home infection control primarily targets healthcare worker-resident transmission.
• Limited evidence exists on the impact of environmental surface decontamination on infection rates and resident outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if ultraviolet (UV) disinfection impacts microbial counts on high-touch surfaces.
• To determine if UV disinfection is associated with changes in nursing home-acquired infection rates and infection-related hospitalizations.

Main Methods:

• A 160-bed long-term care facility implemented UV light disinfection for resident rooms post-discharge and shared spaces weekly.
• Thirty-six months of pre-intervention data were compared with 12 months of post-intervention data for infections and hospitalizations.
• Microbial and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) counts on high-touch surfaces were measured pre- and post-disinfection.

Main Results:

• UV disinfection significantly decreased ATP counts on high-touch surfaces.
• Post-disinfection surface cultures showed a reduction in bacterial presence (from 33% to 4.4%).
• Significant decreases were observed in overall nursing home-acquired infections, urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, and skin/soft tissue infections.
• Infection-related hospitalizations, including pneumonia, significantly decreased.

Conclusions:

• Pulsed-xenon UV disinfection is more effective than manual cleaning alone in reducing surface microbes.
• UV disinfection demonstrably lowers infection rates and hospitalizations in long-term care facilities.
• Increased emphasis on environmental surface disinfection in long-term care settings may reduce facility-acquired infections.