Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

29 UV Light Disinfection: Combat 4 Misconceptions With 1 Step By Heather Punke Patient Safety Toolkit T o supplement the material and analysis provided by Becker's Clinical Quality and Infection Control, Becker's Healthcare of- fers an online database of free and low-cost down- loadable patient safety tools and resources, putting the mall in one place for user convenience. The da- tabase contains tools for patients and providers on all quality-related matters, including general and specific infection prevention and control, adverse event prevention and quality reporting. The following are 11 patient safety tools pub- lished so far in 2015, starting with the newest. NPSF's Root Cause Analysis Guidelines: The Na- tional Patient Safety Foundation published guide- lines developed to help healthcare organizations improve the way they investigate medical errors, adverse events and near misses. University of Michigan Health System's Guide for Catheter Appropriateness: Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health System published the "Ann Arbor Criteria for Urinary Catheter Ap- propriateness" in the Annals of Internal Medicine, providing detailed advice for clinicians on if a pa- tient would benefit from a catheter. CAP and NSH's Guidelines for Pathology Labs: The College of American Pathologists and the National Society for Histotechnology released evidence-based guidelines to ensure patient safety through the uni- form labeling of paraffin blocks and slides. CDC's Resources to Assist HAI Prevention: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cre- ated a Targeted Assessment for Prevention report function for National Healthcare Safety Network users looking to identify healthcare facilities with high rates of healthcare-associated infections. Patient Quarantine Decision Tool: The Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health released a decision tree tool for quarantining patients in the event of an infectious disease. Halyard Health's Hand Hygiene Posters: Halyard Health offers two hand hygiene posters to show healthcare workers, patients and visitors alike how to properly clean and sanitize their hands. Videos on Ebola Preparedness in the ED: The CDC and Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medi- cine released four web-based training modules on Ebola preparedness in the emergency department to help healthcare workers prepare to identify, triage and manage the care of patients who may have Ebola or another highly infectious disease. AAAHC's Emergency Drill Toolkit: The Ac- creditation Association for Ambulatory Health- care's Institute for Quality Improvement offers an emergency drill toolkit to help healthcare organi- zations prepare for emergency situations. AHA's Discharge Planning Kit: The American Hospital Association offers a discharge planning toolkit to help hospitals improve patient transi- tions to post-acute care sites and reduce readmis- sions. ANA's CAUTI Prevention Tool: The American Nurses Association provides a tool to help pre- vent catheter-associated urinary tract infections that includes a flow chart to help workers decide whether or not to insert a catheter. AHRQ's Kit for ESRD Facilities: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has a toolkit that includes PowerPoint presentations and videos to help end-stage renal disease facilities prevent in- fections in dialysis patients. n 11 Patient Safety Tools Published in 2015 T he concept of using ultraviolet light to disinfect isn't necessarily a new one, but it has gained more attention in recent years: Thanks to the push for transparency around infection rates and the finan- cial penalties attached to healthcare-acquired infections and readmissions, many hospitals are looking to add weapons in their arsenal against HAIs, including UV light disinfection. Confusion about the technology seems to have come hand-in-hand with its higher national profile, however. Experts have heard a variety of myths associated with UV light disinfection as healthcare professionals become more aware of the technology. Some common misconceptions or myths about the technology include the following: Risk to workers. Some workers in environmental services or infection prevention may be concerned about overexposure to UV light. While be- ing exposed to an excess of UV light does have risks, UV light disinfec- tion systems have safeguards in place to minimize exposure. "You have to consider that every machine has a warning on it," says James Laskaris, an emerging technology analyst with MD Buyline. Keri Lestage, PhD, a technology solutions group manager with Clorox Healthcare, agrees. "If the device is used properly, there is absolutely no risk," she says. Danger from mercury. While not all UV light disinfection systems use mercury bulbs, most do, and the presence of mercury has been the subject of recent controversy, as some UV light disinfection system manufacturers claim mercury can be toxic. However, Mr. Laskaris calls the presence of mercury in UV light disinfection systems "almost a moot point" because most hospitals already have light bulbs in the facility that have mercury in them. For instance, in a previous interview with Becker's, Dr. Lestage noted that Clorox's UV disinfection product has the same level of mercury in it as is found in florescent lamps in office buildings and hospitals across the country. Decrease in effectiveness over time. It is true that the bulbs used in UV light systems do need to be replaced, just like regular light bulbs. However, reputable manufacturers measure the lifespan of the bulbs and will provide that information up front. "It's like preventative maintenance on any medical technology — you have to keep it up," Mr. Laskaris says. "If you don't follow directions, yes, there will be a problem." Ability for solo use. It is a myth that UV light disinfection systems can be used in place of old-fashioned cleaning. "UV light is a supplement to existing protocol," says Dr. Lestage. Rooms still need to be thoroughly cleaned with a manual disinfectant as usual, but the UV light system can act as an extra step in the process that can reduce the spore count missed by manual cleaning. Combat rumors with training, education Most of these myths and misconceptions about UV light and how to use it can be dispelled with one thing: training. Dr. Lestage says training and education of frontline staff and others is of upmost importance when a hospital purchases a UV light system. She identifies two distinct arms of training: Understanding the basic protocol for safely using and maintaining the device and also understanding how to implement it within the workflow of the hospital. Mr. Laskaris agrees. Simply put, he says, "like any piece of technology out there, training is key," he says. "A lot of [these] misconceptions mainly have to do with limits of training." n

• Cover