Exploring the Applicability of Robot-Assisted UV Disinfection in Radiology.

Area of Science:

• Infection Control
• Medical Technology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Manual disinfection in radiology is time-consuming, error-prone, and resource-intensive.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for improved infection control in healthcare settings.
• Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) presents a non-touch alternative to manual disinfection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the germicidal effectiveness of a robotic UVGI device.
• To assess the practical feasibility of using robotic UVGI in hospital radiology settings.
• To compare the speed and efficacy of UVGI disinfection with current manual practices.

Main Methods:

• A robotic UVGI platform was designed for autonomous operation in radiology rooms.
• Experiments were conducted in CT and X-ray rooms across two hospitals.
• Germicidal performance was measured by microbial load reduction on surfaces.

Main Results:

• UVGI successfully inactivated measurable microbial load on 22 out of 24 tested surfaces.
• Reductions of 84% and 95% were observed on the remaining two surfaces.
• Robotic UVGI disinfection was 2-4 times faster than current manual methods, even in cramped spaces.

Conclusions:

• Robotic UVGI is highly effective in inactivating microbes on radiology suite surfaces, including hard-to-reach areas.
• The technology demonstrates potential for improved workflow and equipment utilization.
• UVGI's effectiveness against microbes with higher inactivation energies suggests high efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.