A study published in the American Journal of Infection Control examined whether the addition of an ultraviolet disinfection step after terminal cleaning can help reduce Clostridium difficile infection rates.
Researchers used a quasi-experimental design for the study, using three units as intervention units and three as control units. The intervention units included two hematology and bone marrow transplant units and one medical-surgical unit at a U.S.-based teaching hospital. The intervention involved adding a UV disinfection step after terminal cleaning.
Researchers found during the 6 months of UV disinfection, the C. diff rate in the intervention units was 11.2 per 10,000 patient days, as compared to 28.7 per 10,000 patient days in the control units. The intervention units also saw a reduction in vancomycin-resistant enterococci acquisition.