Many Advantages of UV Light Disinfection Robots
Robots have been used in many areas of the medical field for decades, such as the Da Vinci robot that helps with surgeries and robots that roam from patient room to patient room with tablets allowing for tele-visits with your doctor. Robots assist with many other roles in the medical field such as disinfection robots equipped with ultraviolet (UV) lamps used to help sterilize surfaces.
Disinfection robots are not a new idea, they have been around for a while although have gained increased attention amidst the coronavirus pandemic. UV light disinfection is used in many industries to sterilize surfaces, air and water and is proven effective in the healthcare industry to help prevent the spread of infection. Hospitals must be diligent in cleaning and sterilizing patient rooms as hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are a serious concern for patients and staff.
The most commonly transmitted HAIs are from viruses and bacteria resistant to antibiotics and are also referred to as superbugs. Some of the most common superbugs include methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and Clostridium difficile (C.diff). It is estimated by the CDC that one in every 31 hospital patients will contract an HAI on any given day. This puts patients and staff at risk of contracting a serious illness that causes pain, suffering and even death.
UV Disinfection Robots Help to Prevent HAIs
A study by the National Institutes of Health, Application of Service Robots for Disinfection in Medical Institutions published in 2017 shows that ultraviolet light robots significantly reduced the burden of MRSA on patient room surfaces. This was true for patients known to have had a MRSA infection. UV light sterilization devices including UV light robots used in conjunction with manual cleaning and sterilization efforts are highly effective at reducing the amount of harmful pathogens on surfaces.
UV light robots provide effective disinfection properties and many additional benefits such as automation, robots can be programmed to shut down in the presence of people and to find their way back to their charging station. Robots are an investment that pays off with increased sterilization and no labor expenses. The types of UVC germicidal lamps used in UVC robots are crucial to achieve maximum sterilization effectiveness.
LightSources offers high-quality, high-performance UVC germicidal lamps used n a wide array of sterilization applications. Our lighting engineers possess deep technical knowledge of UV radiation and offer custom designed sterilization lamps as well as prototype development. Contact us with any questions on UVC germicidal lamps for UV light disinfection robots.