Highlights
- •A tabletop ultraviolet C light–emitting device effectively reduced microbial counts.
- •Poor sensitivity of input sensors during continuous item input led to stalled items.
- •Despite item retrieval issues, user feedback after in-use testing was enthusiastic.
Background
A tabletop-type ultraviolet C (UVC) light–emitting disinfecting device was evaluated
for microbiologic effectiveness, safety, usability, and end-user satisfaction.
Methods
Three different inoculums of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex strains suspended in both saline and trypticase soy broth were applied onto
stainless steel carriers and electronic device surfaces in triplicate and cultured
for growth after UVC disinfection. Assessments of functionality and usability were
performed by biomedical and human factors engineers. End-user feedback was captured
using a standardized in-use survey.
Results
The 54 stainless steel carriers displayed growth at inoculums as low as 102 colony forming units (CFU) when a quartz dish supplied by the manufacturer was used
during UVC exposure. Without the quartz dish, 54 electronic device surfaces displayed
no growth for inoculums from 102-104 CFU for all organisms suspended in saline, but lower kill rates (95.7%-100%) for
organisms in broth. Several minor safety and usability issues were identified prior
to clinical evaluation. In-use evaluation revealed keen user endorsement; however,
suboptimal sensitivity of the machine's input sensors during sequential object insertion
precluded implementation.
Conclusions
Optimization of some safety and functionality parameters would improve a conceptually
popular and microbiologically effective tabletop UVC disinfecting device.
Key Words
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: October 11, 2016
Footnotes
Funding/support: Angelini Pharma (Gaithersburg, MD) loaned the ultraviolet C device for evaluation. No additional funding or support was received.
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
