Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42201102›Full record

ArticleEuropean burn journal2026

The Efficacy of UV-C Disinfection in Decreasing Hospital-Acquired Infections and Bioburden in an Adult Burns Service.

Elad Zvi, Melissa Neely, Louise Higgins, Maja Garcia, Melinda Pacquola, Eldho Paul, Alex Padiglione, Heather Cleland, Cheng Hean Lo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European burn journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Elad ZviVictorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Health, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5389-3672
Melissa NeelyVictorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Health, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Louise HigginsVictorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Health, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Maja GarciaVictorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Health, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-9496-9546
Melinda PacquolaVictorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Health, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Eldho PaulSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Alex PadiglioneVictorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Health, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Heather ClelandVictorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Health, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Cheng Hean LoVictorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Health, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1386-5332

Funding

Surfacide Manufacturing Inc & Surfacide International Inc and Wilheim Integrated So-lutions Pty Ltd no grant number
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBurn patients are highly susceptible to hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), and contaminated near-patient surfaces can act as reservoirs for multidrug-resistant organisms (MROs). Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) room disinfection is increasingly used as an adjunct to manual cleaning, but real-world data in adult burns settings remain limited.

methodsWe evaluated adjunctive UV-C disinfection in a tertiary adult trauma and burns surgical ward using a two-part observational design. Part A compares MRO-related HAI incidence before UV-C implementation (12 May 2015-11 May 2020; retrospective) with its incidence after implementation (14 July 2020-13 July 2021; prospective). Part B is a matched pre/post environmental sampling study (December 2022-December 2024) of 44 vacant rooms. Paired swabs from a single randomised high-touch surface per room were collected immediately before and after UV-C disinfection and processed by an independent laboratory.

resultsPart A included 7589 admissions (6415 before-UV-C; 1174 after-UV-C) with 2728 UV-C cycles delivered after implementation. MRO-related HAI incidence decreased from 18.3 to 10.2 per 1000 bed-days (

conclusionIn an adult burns surgical ward, adjunctive UV-C disinfection was associated with reduced MRO-related HAI incidence and a substantial reduction in environmental bioburden on high-touch surfaces. These real-world findings support UV-C as a feasible adjunct to standard cleaning in high-risk burn services and inform future controlled evaluations.

Indexed as

burns unithospital-acquired infectioninfection controlmultidrug-resistant organismsultraviolet disinfection

Identifiers

PMID42201102
PMCPMC13214841

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LicenceCC BY
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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.