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- Training And Compliance Of Disinfection Equipment
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Fortunately, operating a UV disinfection system is fairly straightforward. After initial training from the vendor, most facilities are up and running in a few days.听The room number and employee鈥檚 user ID are entered into the system manually or via a barcode scanner. For hospitals that opt to use bar codes, the employee scans the bar code at the door, identifying the room and confirming that the employee is about to enter that room. The information is then downloaded to the UV device via the barcode scanner once the system is turned on.听And once machines are on, there are safety features in place to protect the staff and building occupants. For example, some devices are operated via remote control; others feature a countdown, allowing the employee to exit the room in a certain period of time and shut the door before the system starts. After it has started, employees can access the device wirelessly to check cycle status on some machines. If a user enters a room before the cycle is complete, a motion sensor shuts the system down immediately.听When using UV light, the restroom is disinfected first so that the worker can close the door and clean the patient鈥檚 room while the device is running. Next, the device runs for one cycle lasting 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the manufacturer) on each side of the patient bed to avoid shadowing problems.听As Scherberger points out, there are limitations to UV disinfection that must be taken into account when cleaning a patient room.听鈥淚t is not absorbed into soft surfaces, such as mattresses or cubicle curtains, and it does not kill bacteria where the light doesn鈥檛 reach,鈥� he notes. 鈥淏ut when used properly, it is very effective.鈥漁ne of the benefits of UV systems is the ability for EVS staff to track usage and compliance data. This falls into the growing category of internet of things (IoT).听鈥淵ou can manage rooms, locations and operators, and that鈥檚 transferred over the cloud for reporting analytics,鈥� says Velez. 鈥淵ou can also use the reporting features on the back end to collect that information and analyze how the device is being used, when it鈥檚 used and who鈥檚 using it. So you can improve your workflow processes and provide targeted training, if needed.鈥澨齒enex tracks each of MD Anderson鈥檚 machines remotely and provides the hospital with monthly usage reports that the staff can access via an online portal. The reports indicate how many times the machines were used and how long they were used for. Device sensors allow users to track the machine鈥檚 position in the room.Armed with this information, Beene can discern if the machines are being used properly.听鈥淪ometimes we find employees run the machine in one location versus different positions, or they鈥檒l cut it off before the runtime is complete,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e look to see if it鈥檚 from one person or a multitude of people, and from there we鈥檒l do additional training or progressive discipline, if necessary.鈥滷urthermore, Xenex data is integrated with the hospital鈥檚 electronic medical records to improve workflow processes.听鈥淪taff can be notified when a patient is going to be discharged and UV light is needed, which is helpful for housekeeping,鈥� notes Chemaly. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more proactive than relying on nurses to let them know which rooms need听 disinfecting.鈥澨�
The Big Picture
It鈥檚 extremely beneficial, but EVS isn鈥檛 the only department benefiting from UV technology. Infection Control departments can compare UV usage data with HAI data, thereby tracking and analyzing infection rates over time.听鈥淭his is a good surveillance program for infection control purposes,鈥� says Chemaly. 鈥淲e collect infection rates on every type of multi-drug resistant organism and share it with the staff and with different committees. We can see the impact of using this machine, and we鈥檙e happy that our infection rates are going down.鈥滺ealthcare providers may balk at the cost of implementing UV technology, but these devices can have positive impacts hospital-wide that far outweigh their price tag.听鈥淚nformation technology drives us all, so hospitals are required 鈥� not only from a practical perspective, but a liability perspective 鈥� to document as it relates to HAIs,鈥� says Boyle. 鈥淪o being able to verify records is extremely important with any terminal cleaning protocol. If you鈥檙e cited and graded as a lower level hospital, you鈥檙e in jeopardy of losing up to 3 percent of Medicare reimbursement hospital-wide.鈥滳hemaly says that he sleeps better at night knowing UV technology is being used to reduce the threat of bacteria from the environment.听鈥淥ur cancer patients are compromised, and we take that very seriously,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want them to get any infections from our hospital 鈥� especially multi-drug resistant infections that are very hard to treat or may result in death. I like to look at this as a safety net to make sure we don鈥檛 rely only on human beings to do a good job.鈥澨�KASSANDRA KANIA is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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