While multi-drug resistant organisms continue to be a problem among the nation's healthcare facilities, Iredell Health System has implemented a new layer of protection for patients, staff, and guests at Iredell Memorial Hospital with the addition of ultraviolet (UV) technology.

In an effort to enhance existing protocols for disinfecting patient rooms and other key areas in the facility, the Health System has invested in two Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV Enlight® Systems, which use UV light to kill microorganisms by inactivating their DNA, rendering them harmless and unable to replicate. Enlight® is effective against a range of dangerous pathogens, including those commonly known as MRSA and C. Diff. It can kill microscopic organisms in just five minutes at a distance of eight feet.

"Patient safety is a top priority at Iredell," said Pam Gill, Director of Infection Prevention for Iredell Health System. "We chose to purchase these UV devices as an added measure to help us prevent healthcare-associated infections and ensure the safest possible environment of care for our patients, staff and visitors. The device is able to treat areas that are difficult to clean manually, and it allows us to track which rooms have been treated for more accurate reporting."

Iredell Memorial Hospital uses the devices to disinfect operating rooms and contact isolation patient rooms. Other patient rooms and public areas are treated on a rotating basis. The devices are used after the environmental services team thoroughly cleans and disinfects each room with a chemical surface disinfectant product. The UV devices are then used to supplement these efforts. In a typical patient room, the device is placed on both sides of the patient bed and turned on for five minutes in each position. It's also placed in the patient bathroom for another five-minute cycle. A similar process is followed for the Critical Care Unit.

"With pathogens such as C. Diff. able to survive on surfaces for months at a time, we felt it was important to adopt a comprehensive approach – combining manual surface disinfection with UV technology," said Gill. "We want the adoption of the UV devices to give peace of mind to our patients, to reassure them their safety is what is most important to our staff."

For more information on Iredell's use of the Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV Enlight® system, contact LaToya Boyce at 704.878.7738 or latoya.boyce@iredellhealth.org.