[Sponsored] Ensuring Patient Safety Through Advancement in Infection Prevention Protocols with UV Technology

By John Speilman, EVS Manager Newton Medical Center

Healthcare facilities face numerous challenges when it comes to maintaining the safety of the patient environment. From common infection-causing bacteria and viruses to multi-drug resistant pathogens that cause healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), there are countless opportunities for patients’ health to be jeopardized, and despite vast progress, HAIs continue to claim the lives of thousands each year. As a result, healthcare facilities need a comprehensive approach to infection control to maintain the safety of the patient environment. This is why one such facility – Newton Medical Center (NMC), a hospital in Newton, KS – advanced its infection prevention protocols by investing in UV technology and the Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV® System.

The Challenge: Safeguarding the Patient Environment Against Infections

Multi-drug resistant pathogens that put patients’ health at risk such as Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can survive on surfaces from days to months making comprehensive, daily cleaning and disinfection critical in preventing infections. However, completing daily and discharge cleaning effectively is time-consuming and no matter how meticulous Clinical and Environmental Services teams are, some pathogens can still resist or hide out in hard-to-reach places.

The Solution: Adding an Extra Layer of Protection with UV Technology

NMC implemented four Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV® Systems to supplement their manual cleaning and disinfection efforts and enable comprehensive surface coverage. “The addition of the Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV® devices provides an extra layer of protection against HAIs and ensures we have the safest environment possible for our patients,” said John Spielman, EVS Manager, NMC. “We specifically chose the Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV® Systems because we knew we would be investing not only in a top technology but in a long-standing partner who will be there down the road to help us continue to provide our patients with the highest level of safety and protection.”

The Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV® System works by emitting UV-C light and killing microorganisms by inactivating their DNA, rendering them harmless and unable to multiply or spread.

Going the Extra Mile: Implementing UV Technology

By supplementing manual cleaning practices with UV-C technology, NMC offers an extra layer of protection by killing microorganisms in areas that may otherwise be missed or insufficiently cleaned through manual cleaning practices. The device can kill more than 30 HAI-causing pathogens in five minutes at a distance of eight feet, ensuring that healthcare facilities like NMC leave no crevice untreated.

NMC uses their four devices throughout the hospital to clean operating rooms, patient and isolation rooms, critical care unit (CCU) rooms, the catheterization laboratory, and even emergency rooms during high-risk time periods such as flu season. The hospital has one device designated for operating rooms, while the others are used throughout the hospital.

“With the Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV® System we have found an easy, effective and high-quality solution that helps to ensure our patients’ safety and health and reflects our hospital’s standards of care and commitment towards safety,” said Spielman. “In the last five years, we have only seen three cases of MRSA, making us entirely confident in its ability to help reduce infection rates and all the prouder of our investment.”