The Renewed Focus on Disinfection Due to Covid-19

Evolving with Covid-19

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s been a renewed focus on disinfection. There has been a significant need for improved disinfection of procedure and treatment rooms, both after each procedure and on a continuous basis. Healthcare leaders have had to rethink everything they know about infection prevention because this virus is unlike anything we’ve dealt with in the past. We may be about two years into this pandemic, but healthcare workers need to remember to stay vigilant. Everyone is aware of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. It’s not yet clear the full impact of Omicron or future Coronavirus variants, which is why as the virus continues to evolve, it’s important to keep evaluating disinfection methods and protocols.

Reinforcing IP Protocol

With a comprehensive, strategic, and holistic plan in place, IP tools can decrease both airborne and surface area spread rates. The past years’ events are accelerating change across the industry and forcing health systems to quickly adapt, pivot and innovate. It’s important to reevaluate and reinforce protocols if needed overtime, based on how it’s going. Leveraging tools that offer evidence-based protection is the best way to address changes in IP protocol. The following should be included in the plan for IP:

• Who should do the assessment and how will it be done
• How disinfection data will be validated
• Which rooms will be monitored
• Which surfaces will be assessed
• Methods for monitoring cleaning adherence and effectiveness in addition to direct observation
• Routine audits of adherence to cleaning and disinfection procedures

How UVC Can Help

A powerful way to succeed at IP is to incorporate UVC into your plan. According to the FDA, UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air and nonporous surfaces. UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria and harmful pathogens. The best UVC dosing solutions work to reach all areas within a treated room, including those in shadowed or hard-to-reach places. By penetrating areas that manual cleaning and other technology cannot, UVC ensures disinfection is as complete as possible. UVC radiation can only inactivate a virus if the virus is directly exposed to the radiation. A UV disinfection system administers the specific dose of ultraviolet light needed to reduce harmful pathogens in an operating room, emergency room, patient room or other area of possible contamination. The best UVC systems also capture the date, time, operator, room number, and cycle time to ensure you have the proof of compliance data needed for government reporting and communication to patients. When bundled with manual cleaning and disinfection protocols, the technology significantly reduces the presence of patient exposure to HAIs and community-spread pathogens.