Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38028361›Full record

ArticleInfection prevention in practice2023

Description and results of a new method for assessing real-life performance of a UV-C disinfection robot.

Michael Rodgers, Suzan Cremers, Edmée Bowles

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Infection prevention in practice, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Michael RodgersDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Radboud Centre for Infectious Diseases, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Suzan CremersDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Radboud Centre for Infectious Diseases, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Edmée BowlesDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Radboud Centre for Infectious Diseases, Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Due to the disadvantages of manual disinfection of patient rooms, mobile disinfection robots using ultraviolet C (UV-C) radiation are increasingly being used. Assessing their in situ effectiveness remains challenging. Aim: This study describes a new method to prove adequate in situ disinfection (≥5-log reduction in bacterial load), and uses this method to assess the efficacy of a mobile disinfection robot using UV-C radiation. Methods: Agar plates serving as proxies for smooth surfaces in patient rooms were inoculated with bacterial suspension and placed on various surfaces in a patient room. After irradiation by an automated mobile UV-C robot, reduction in colony growth was determined by comparing the irradiated plates to a reference series of non-irradiated plates, enabling the evaluation of whether an adequate reduction in colony-forming units (CFU's) of ≥5-log was reached on these irradiated surfaces. Findings: The new technique described here proved a successful method for demonstrating an in situ ≥5-log reduction in CFU's for five different bacterial pathogens. Of the 32 plates placed on UV-accessible surfaces, 31 showed an adequate reduction in CFU's of ≥5-log. One plate could not be assessed. Conclusion: Inoculated agar plates placed in patient rooms before irradiation and subsequently compared to a reference series can be used to assess in situ efficacy of mobile disinfection robots using UV-C radiation. Our findings support the idea that UV-C robots, used adjunctively to conventional manual washing and disinfection, may achieve adequate bacterial load reduction on UV-accessible smooth surfaces in patient rooms for a selected subset of pathogens.

Indexed as

DisinfectionPatient roomRobotUV-C

Identifiers

PMID38028361
PMCPMC10663672

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.