In the spring of 2022, Candida auris was detected in the Emergency Department of a New York City hospital. The likely cause? Poorly cleaned equipment.
Hospital leadership quickly mobilized to address the emerging challenge. Rather than resort to a short-term fix, they opted to find a supplemental disinfection technology that would strengthen the facility’s oversight, consistency, and accountability.
The leadership team came up with five criteria that would guide their search for an adjunct solution. However, these same criteria can (and should) be adopted by other facilities across the country to improve their own cleaning and disinfecting processes.
Solution Criteria
1. Effective
Arguably the most important criteria is effectiveness against C. auris. The hospital needed a controlled environment that would consistently inactivate over 99.99% of the microorganism on solid surfaces.
2. Safe
Next, the solution could not pose any danger to patients or staff in a 24/7, active environment. It had to be equipped with basic safety features that protected all personnel from UV light exposure.
3. On-Demand
Automation is more valuable than ever amid the growing healthcare worker shortage. The technology needed to maintain a higher level of environmental cleanliness without requiring any setup or complicating the staff’s already busy workflow.
4. Easy to Use
Since various personnel are involved in the cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, the technology had to require minimal training and be easy to use for all ED staff, from volunteers to physicians.
5. Reportable
Oversight is critical to effective disinfection, so the facility needed a solution that enabled detailed tracking, reporting, and analysis.
Results
The facility chose the UVconcepts Technology Suite for its combination of controlled UV-light technology and automated tracking capabilities. The UVenclosure achieves greater than 99.99% inactivation of microorganisms on solid surfaces in 60 seconds, and it requires minimal setup and training. Meanwhile, the UVdatacloud, UVbadge, and UVetag allow facilities to oversee and analyze UV cycles from a secure, cloud-based platform.
After 3 months of deployment, the new process documented over 1500 manual wipe downs, 1500 UV cycles, and 1500 documented disinfections of equipment in the ED. Protocol adherence and accountability have also improved with the automated tracking features. As a result, the facility is more equipped to manage its ongoing C. auris challenge.
“Candida auris can fly under the radar, and your enclosure encourages more cleaning of equipment and also adds UV disinfection,” said one hospital epidemiologist of our adjunct solution.
As C. auris cases continue to pop up across the United States, it’s imperative that facilities adopt supplemental UV technology and automation to enhance their existing disinfection processes. To find out how UVconcepts can bring peace of mind to your facility’s processes, get in touch with us today and schedule a demo.
