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Review
. 2022 May 28;9(3):25-33.
doi: 10.1049/htl2.12032. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Hospital surface disinfection using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation technology: A review

Robert Scott  1 , Lovleen Tina Joshi  2 , Conor McGinn  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Hospital surface disinfection using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation technology: A review

Robert Scott et al. Healthc Technol Lett. .

Abstract

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) technologies have emerged as a promising alternative to biocides as a means of surface disinfection in hospitals and other healthcare settings. This paper reviews the methods used by researchers and clinicians in deploying and evaluating the efficacy of UVGI technology. The type of UVGI technology used, the clinical setting where the device was deployed, and the methods of environmental testing that the researchers followed are investigated. The findings suggest that clinical UVGI deployments have been growing steadily since 2010 and have increased dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hardware platforms and operating procedures vary considerably between studies. Most studies measure efficacy of the technology based on the objective measurement of bacterial bioburden reduction; however, studies conducted over longer durations have examined the impact of UVGI on the reduction of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs). Future trends include increased automation and the use of UVGI technologies that are safer for use around people. Although existing evidence seems to support the efficacy of UVGI as a tool capable of reducing HCAIs, more research is needed to measure the magnitude of these effects and to establish recommended best practices.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conor McGinn declares a conflict of interest due to his involvement as a shareholder and co‐founder of Akara Robotics, a company involved in the development of UVGI technology.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Example of a robotic UVGI platform being used to disinfect surfaces in a hospital
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Distribution of clinical UVGI studies considered in our review by year (date of search 14 March 2021)
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Examples of UVGI devices that appear frequently in literature: (a) the Xenex LightStrike mobile device, a PX‐UV device, and (b) the Tru‐D mobile device, a LPML device
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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