Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

26 Executive Briefing close to the machine and recommend multiple positions. Even with multiple placements, there is no guarantee that the entire room has been disinfected, meaning an enhanced chance for pathogens to remain behind. Germs and pathogens can live anywhere — underneath a surface, in low-use spaces such as room corners or around various surgical products tables — which is why every touchable surface should be a priority. "In my hospital, patient outcomes are of utmost importance," said Ralph Taylor, director of surgical services at Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Fla. "As director of surgical services, the cleanli- ness of the operating environments lies on my shoulders. I care enough about my patients to visit each of them post-operation and educate them on our process so that they know I use Tru-D to ensure a germ-free operating space." Minimizing patient and staff risk With infectious diseases continuing to be a major cause for concern in the healthcare industry, both patients and staff expect assurance that they receive the highest in quality care and safety in a germ-free environment. While many hospitals realize the benefits of enhanced disinfection practices, the demand for such protocols is now being heard from patients as well. After reading about Tru-D, Jack Gunter contacted the company to see if one of the robots could be used in the op- erating room prior to his wife's partial leg amputation. Tru-D worked with the EVS staff at the hospital and had the robot disinfect the space prior to her procedure. "Having Tru-D was great for our mental framework," said Mr. Gunter. "Knowing Tru-D was going to be used helped us feel everything was being done to make sure she did not have an infection with the amputation." Mr. Gunter's wife is now recovering well and successfully using a prosthetic leg. Tru-D is also valuable in proactively reducing the spread of infectious diseases during construction projects and other events that can affect hospital environments. The large scale, randomized Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room Disinfection (BETR-D) study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that hospital environments can direct- ly affect patients' risk of exposure to infectious diseases and germs. The only device of its kind selected for the study due to its unique sensor technology, Tru-D was proven to reduce the incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms by greater than 30 percent. "Our number one priority at Lehigh Valley is to keep our patients and staff safe," said Terry Burger, director of infec- tion prevention at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa. "Tru-D provides us with the best strategy to enhance our environmental cleaning program. The result is a clean and safe environment for our patients that may prevent and/or reduce infections." Tested. Trusted. Tru-D. The pioneer in UV disinfection, Tru-D is the only device of its kind backed by a CDC-funded, randomized clinical trial. More Tru-Ds have been deployed to disinfect hospitals across the globe than all other competing look-alike offerings, fighting deadly pathogens such as C. diff, MRSA, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Middle East respiratory syndrome, Ebola and many more. An effective and innovative technology, Tru-D is on a mission to eradicate healthcare-associated infections, making hospitals and ORs safer places for patients and staff. While a number of devices claim to be clinically validated, as consumers, it is important to read disclosures first and ensure data is coming from indepen- dent third parties. Backed by sound science, Tru-D is the most studied UV disinfection robot on the market with more than 13 independent, third-party validations ranging from hospitals to the CDC. As the UV disinfection market continues to grow, Tru-D will remain the industry leader in reducing HAIs and keeping hospital environments clean and safe. n Tru-D SmartUVC™ is the only smart UV disinfection device on the market backed by a more than 50-year history in UV disinfection. Tru-D sets the gold standard of care for the health care disinfection market with innovative, high-efficiency capabilities backed by proven data accumulated over more than a decade of clinical research by leading independent infection preventionists and epidemiologists across the U.S. For information and links to independent studies on Tru-D, visit Tru-D.com. "I care enough about my patients to visit each of them post-operation and educate them on our process so that they know I use Tru-D to ensure a germ-free operating space." — Ralph Taylor, Oak Hill Hospital director of surgical services Sponsored by:

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