Non-manual disinfection Technologies for Prevention of Hospital Associated Infections

HTAC assessed the use of portable non-manual disinfection (NMD) technologies for the prevention of hospital-associated infections. This work focused on the effectiveness of portable ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide based non-manual disinfection devices as a supplement to standard cleaning and disinfection procedures.

HTAC Found

• Evidence on the effectiveness of ultraviolet NMD technologies in reducing rates of hospital-acquired infections was low quality, due to variability in study settings and designs.
• A single randomized trial was identified but still rated as low quality. The results from the primary analysis of this trial were only estimated for patients exposed to target rooms, and it was found that the addition of ultraviolet disinfection led to a 30% reduction when compared to standard cleaning alone (i.e. quaternary ammonium disinfection). However, these results were not observed when standard cleaning used a bleach-based protocol.
• The results from an interrupted time-series analysis at Fraser Health found the impact of ultraviolet NMD on reducing the combined rate of HAIs was not significant.

HTAC Recommends

1. Since the clinical effectiveness of non-manual portable UV light and hydrogen peroxide surface-disinfection devices for reducing HAIs in acute care settings is inconclusive, HTAC does not recommend the standardization of portable UV light or hydrogen peroxide surface-disinfecting devices for the prevention of hospital associated infections.
2. Recognizing the limitations of the existing evidence, the evidence does not warrant the removal of such systems for those regions who are using them.
3. HTAC recommends a review of the technology when sufficient future clinical evidence is available. This evidence would ideally reduce the uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of these technologies by ensuring internal validity.