Respond to your peer and briefly analyze their articles, commenting on areas where you agree or differ on the findings and why.
PICO question is: In a hospital setting, what impact does incorporation of modern technologies such as UV devices and robots, compared to traditional methods of cleaning, have on transmission of infections among patients and healthcare workers?
The article is: Effectiveness of an ultraviolet-C disinfection system for reduction of healthcare-associated pathogens by Yang, J.-H., Wu, U.-I., Tai, H.-M., and Sheng, W.-H.
Design Used
The study was conducted at National Taiwan University Hospital, a 2400 bed acute care medical center in Taipei, northern Taiwan, during the period October 2015 to March 2016. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile, automatic device, Hyper Light Disinfection Robot which used ultraviolet-C (UV-C) to kill many types of bacteria namely, MDR-Pseudomonas aeruginosa, MDR- Acinetobacter baumannii, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium(VRE), Mycobacterium abscessus and Aspergillus fumigatus. The UV light technology uses specific wavelength of ultraviolet light to neutralize and kill microorganisms.
Sample Size
Three hospital rooms that had been occupied by VRE and MRSA carriers were evaluated. The samples collected from various environmental surfaces before and after UV-C irradiation. Stored clinical strains of all types of bacteria were used for in vitro study. Also, Standard strains of A. fumigatus were used for this experiment. The device was operated remotely and delivered a dose of 2750 μW/cm2 at a distance of 1 m, and was repeated with 5, 10 and 15 min of exposure time (Yang et al, 2019).
Validity and Reliability Instrument
Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare two independent samples. Wilcoxon signed-rank test is used to compare two related samples. For this experiment, it counted the median colony rate before and after application of a UV robot.
Clinical significance
The UV Hyper Light P3 robot was an effective method in killing healthcare-associated multidrug-resistant bacteria (MRSA, MDRAB, MDRPA, and VRE), as well as M. abscessus and A. fumigatus in vitro (Yang et al, 2019). Additionally, the duration of UV exposure is vital in decontamination. As far as Hyper Light P3 is concerned, it is technology capable of reducing MRSA, VRE, MDRAB, MDRPA and M. abscessus by more than 4 log10 CFU/cm2 in matter of 5 minutes at a distance of 2 m (Yang et al, 2019). Finally, the study concluded that the UV Hyper Light P3 robot should be an adjunct enhancement to the previously used traditional methods of disinfection.
Research ethics
The best practice of research ethics was addressed. The study did not require participation of patients. So, there was no need to obtain any informed consent. Also, special precautions were taken and rooms were not occupied by patients at the time of the experiments.
