Infection prevention and control have been top-of-mind for hospital leaders for decades. As pathogens have evolved and mutated, resulting in antibiotic-resistant strains, we are now in the age of superbugs. This new era has forced hospitals to modify and strengthen their cleaning strategies in an effort to keep their staff and patients safe and healthy. However, with the more recent influx of multidrug-resistant organisms such as Clostridium difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the need to reduce the incidences of these deadly pathogens has been elevated. To address these growing concerns, many hospitals and operating rooms are turning to no-touch ultraviolet disinfection robots to add enhanced cleaning methodologies and are seeing incredible reductions in infection rates.
When comparing various UV techniques, it is important to understand that not all UV offerings eliminate human error in cleaning strategies. Only no-touch disinfection units that measure dose ensure deadly germs are eradicated. Once a hospital or environmental services staff member cleans a room using traditional methods, UV robots are brought in to "finish the job." However, some robots provide partial room disinfection. Why invest in enhanced room disinfection if you cannot guarantee total room disinfection? Tru-D SmartUVC, short for total room ultraviolet disinfection, is the only device of its kind that ensures 99.9 percent efficacy in eradicating germs using its patented technology, making it the most studied device of its kind and the gold standard in the UV disinfection space.
This content is sponsored by Tru-D
If it's not smart, it's not a robot
While many UV disinfection units use similar UV-C light, Tru-D is the only robot of its kind with patented Sensor360 technology. Tru-D's eight sensors analyze a room, including size, shape and contents, to administer the proper germicidal dose of UV light to eliminate germs in the entire space, including shadowed areas. Sensor360 eliminates the guesswork, ensuring each room receives the exact dose of UV light needed to disinfect all areas. "The Sensor360 technology sets Tru-D apart from its competitors," said Greg Rosenberger, hospitality services director of Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Fla. "Rather than estimating the necessary UV dose or moving a unit to multiple placements in a room, Tru-D is able to analyze a space and provide a measured, lethal dose of UV light to provide total room disinfection from a single cycle in a single location."
In addition to Tru-D's Sensor360 technology, Tru-D also features iTru-D, an application that tracks utilization and simultaneously uploads the information to Tru-D's web portal, providing instant access to real-time usage of the robot. Its intuitive controller allows for the ultimate in ease of use and documentation of the disinfection process. While staff are disinfecting with Tru-D, administrators can view usage data through concise graphics and exportable spreadsheets. iTru-D provides visual information, assuring hospital staff that a room has been properly disinfected. The portal also allows Tru-D to evaluate unnecessary idle time and work with hospitals to use the robot most efficiently. Through the utilization data provided, hospitals can correlate Tru-D's effectiveness in relation to infection rates. "iTru-D makes it easy for our staff to analyze real-time data on the cleanliness of our patient rooms," said Mr. Rosenberger. "The ability to track cycles helps us improve our work flow and efficiencies." With Sensor360 and iTru-D, Tru-D is a proven "smart" addition to your cleaning team and protocols that can help hospitals and ORs proactively halt the spread of infectious diseases.
Total room vs. partial room disinfection
As the market that Tru-D established continues to grow, new players have entered the space. However, many lack the research and development process that enables Tru-D to provide consistent outcomes. Tru-D is the trusted choice for health care professionals because of its 99.9 percent efficacy that can only be accomplished through its method of UV-C dose measurement. Third-party studies show that Tru-D is proven to disinfect an entire room from a single location. This is accomplished by measuring the proper dose of UV energy that reaches the walls and is reflected back to the center of the room.
Other UV offerings disinfect only line-of-sight surfaces very close to the machine and recommend multiple positions. Even with multiple placements, there is no guarantee that the entire room has been disinfected; meaning an enhanced chance for pathogens to remain behind. Germs and pathogens can live anywhere — underneath a surface, in low-use spaces such as room corners or around various surgical products tables — which is why every touchable surface should be a priority. "In my hospital, patient outcomes are of utmost importance," said Ralph Taylor, director of surgical services at Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Fla. "As director of surgical services, the cleanliness of the operating environments lies on my shoulders. I care enough about my patients to visit each of them post-operation and educate them on our process so that they know I use Tru-D to ensure a germ-free operating space."
Minimizing patient and staff risk
With infectious diseases continuing to be a major cause for concern in the healthcare industry, both patients and staff expect assurance that they receive the highest in quality care and safety in a germ-free environment. While many hospitals realize the benefits of enhanced disinfection practices, the demand for such protocols is now being heard from patients as well. After reading about Tru-D, Jack Gunter contacted the company to see if one of the robots could be used in the operating room prior to his wife's partial leg amputation. Tru-D worked with the EVS staff at the hospital and had the robot disinfect the space prior to her procedure. "Having Tru-D was great for our mental framework," said Mr. Gunter. "Knowing Tru-D was going to be used helped us feel everything was being done to make sure she did not have an infection with the amputation." Mr. Gunter's wife is now recovering well and successfully using a prosthetic leg.
Tru-D is also valuable in proactively reducing the spread of infectious diseases during construction projects and other events that can affect hospital environments. The large scale, randomized Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room Disinfection (BETR-D) study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that hospital environments can directly affect patients' risk of exposure to infectious diseases and germs. The only device of its kind selected for the study due to its unique sensor technology, Tru-D was proven to reduce the incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms by greater than 30 percent. "Our number one priority at Lehigh Valley is to keep our patients and staff safe," said Terry Burger, director of infection prevention at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa. "Tru-D provides us with the best strategy to enhance our environmental cleaning program. The result is a clean and safe environment for our patients that may prevent and/or reduce infections."
Tested. Trusted. Tru-D.
The pioneer in UV disinfection, Tru-D is the only device of its kind backed by a CDC-funded, randomized clinical trial. More Tru-Ds have been deployed to disinfect hospitals across the globe than all other competing look-alike offerings, fighting deadly pathogens such as C. diff, MRSA, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Middle East respiratory syndrome, Ebola and many more. An effective and innovative technology, Tru-D is on a mission to eradicate healthcare-associated infections, making hospitals and ORs safer places for patients and staff. While a number of devices claim to be clinically validated, as consumers, it is important to read disclosures first and ensure data is coming from independent, third parties. Backed by sound science, Tru-D is the most studied UV disinfection robot on the market with more than 13 independent, third-party validations ranging from hospitals to the CDC. As the UV disinfection market continues to grow, Tru-D will remain the industry leader in reducing HAIs and keeping hospital environments clean and safe.