Clorox Healthcare™ Optimum-UV™ Systems, bundled with Clorox Healthcare manual surface disinfection products, provide a comprehensive solution to environmental cleaning.
Anita J Reecer, RN, BSN is here today to explain how Schneck Medical Center uses this new procedure to help keep their medical centers squeaky clean.
Selected Podcast
Clorox Optimum-UV System: For A Cleaner Hospital
Featured Speaker:
Anita J Reecer, RN, BSN
Anita Reecer in a BSN prepared registered nurse at Schneck Medical Center. She began her current role in Infection Prevention in 2011. She has worked in multiple roles during her over 20 years of service at Schneck. She began her nursing career with Schneck in 1995 on the inpatient medical unit. She has also worked as a direct patient care provider in Obstetrics, Home Health Care, and Inpatient surgery units. She received Associate Degree in Nursing from Indiana University and a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University. She is an active member of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Transcription:
Clorox Optimum-UV System: For A Cleaner Hospital
Bill Klaproth (Host): There’s a new weapon in the fight against hospital infections using powerful ultraviolet technology, and it’s from none other than Clorox. It’s called the “Clorox Optimum UV System” and here to tell us more is Anita Reecer, a registered nurse who works in infection prevention at Schneck Medical Center. Anita, thank you so much for being on with us today. We look forward to learning about this new technology. So, this new system that uses ultraviolet rays to kill infectious viruses and bacteria – what are the most problematic viruses and bacteria that it kills?
Anita Reecer (Guest): I think the number one problematic bacteria for us is Clostridium difficile. You might hear it referred to as C. diff. It’s a very virulent bacteria that lives in the environments up to five months when it’s in its spore form. It can cause disease that can actually lead to death, so that’s a very, very important one, and that’s really probably the main reason that I wanted to get the ultraviolet light therapy because it’s very difficult to find a cleaner that is not damaging to the equipment that can actually eradicate Clostridium difficile.
Bill: So, how does this new system work, this light technology? For our listeners, explain. I’ve researched this a little. It’s supposed to be like this lightsaber. How does this thing work?
Anita: Well, it does not take the place of routine manual cleaning and disinfection in the room. Nothing will ever be able to take the place of that. However, it’s the supplement to that process, and the UV light will kill microorganisms. It damages the DNA so the cell cannot grow or reproduce, and so when they can’t replicate, they can no longer be infectious. So, when the cell death occurs, then this cleans the environment, and we, essentially, have a safer place for our patients.
Bill: So, this is used in conjunction with traditional cleaning methods then, is it? Right?
Anita: Yes, it is.
Bill: So, do you clean traditional first? I mean, how does that process work? Just give us a brief overview of the regular cleaning process.
Anita: Yes, every room, when we discharge a patient, we do what we call a “terminal clean”. So, our environmental services people go in the room, and they very systematically work their way around the room. They clean all areas--and they’ve been educated in what the high-touch areas are--and those are the areas in the room where hands go and where you have the highest risk for microorganism transfer. They’ll do an excellent terminal clean. Following the terminal clean, they will take the UV light in the room and then in the patient room they will do three five-minute cycles--one in the bathroom, two in the patient rooms--and at the end of those five minute cycles, the room will be disinfected.
Bill: That’s pretty amazing. So, how do you test its effectiveness then? How do you know this ultralight technology or ultraviolet light technology is working?
Anita: Well, we have several research studies now that have actually been able to link not only the fact that UV light kills microorganisms, because we have known that for years, but they have been able to do effective research to show that they have--the use of the UV light has decreased hospital associated infections. Also, as a hands-on process, I actually have some quality control cards, so I can take it in a room and I can set these cards up and there’s a color change, so I can make sure that I’m using the right amount of time, and the right amount of distance for that particular patient environment, so that the microorganisms are killed.
Bill: So, do you have multiple devices, then? If this takes basically 15 minutes per room, I’m sure you can’t do the whole hospital in a night. Or, you must keep it to certain floors or certain areas that are more prone to C. diff and MRSA infections?
Anita: Yes, we do. We actually have two devices, and we’re very, very fortunate to get two devices, and I have prioritized areas that will be cleaned first. The top priority is any room that has had a Clostridium difficile patient in it. We will do all of our OR sweep each night after the terminal clean. Also have an ob/or sweep in our OB unit, and that will be done every day after the last known scheduled surgery. We will do all the multi-drug resistant organisms’ rooms. We have a dialysis unit that doesn’t get used daily, but if we have a dialysis patient, that will be done. And then, once all those priorities are met, if the light’s free, units are also welcome to come and get those lights. For example, one of our medical units, the nurses have a process that they’re going to make sure that the light gets taken in every room on a monthly basis, and maybe even more frequently depending on the availability of the light.
Bill: I can’t imagine that this new technology or equipment would be cheap. This must be very important for you at Schneck to make this kind of commitment to safety and to ensure that these types of virus and bacteria don’t spread or don’t infect anybody. This type of cleaning must be very important to you.
Anita: Yes, it is, and I think at Schneck that we’ve always valued our patients. Patient quality care is very important to us, and we are always looking for ways that we can raise the bar and do something a little bit better. We’ve already worked with environmental services over the last few years, looking at our cleaning processes and we feel like we’ve made good strides there. So, this is just kind of the next step, because, again, Clostridium difficile is so difficult to eradicate in the environment. It’s something that we can do, where we can make sure that if we leave a microorganism behind, we have a way to remove it from the environment before a new patient goes in that room.
Bill: So, whatever the light touches, it cleans. Is that how it works basically?
Anita: The light has to shine on the object to actually kill the microorganism. There are other technologies out there that can kill microorganisms but the nice thing about the UV light is it can be done in a timely fashion. So, part of the training is, you set up a room appropriately. That means that when we go in a room, that it’s been terminally cleaned, and we’re going to use the UV light, we’re going to make sure the keyboard’s down, that the light can hit that. We’re going to make sure that the keyboards are going to shine on the call light. We’re going to make sure that it’s on the buttons on the phone. These are all high-touch areas. In the bathroom, we’re going to open up the shower curtains and the toilet seat will be down. There will be no linens on the bed. So, there are certain ways that you set up a room so that the light can do the best work that it can.
Bill: So, shining the light on those high-touch areas is very important. And, I can see now why the terminal clean is very important because underside of trays and things like that would be more difficult for the light to reach, those types of things, correct?
Anita: Correct. If the light’s not shining on the object, it will not kill the microorganisms. Therefore, there are shaded areas that might not get reached. However, by setting up a room appropriately, you should be able to expose those high-touch areas.
Bill: Can you see the light when it’s shining. If you’re looking from the hallway, is it a big blue light which is enveloping the whole room?
Anita: Well, it looks a little bit like heaven to me, because I love infection prevention and I want to kill the germs, but, actually, we close the patient door, and we put a little sign on the door because we know that UV light can be damaging to the eyes, and protect the eyes and the skin. However, you can view it through a window glass, so in our ICU room, we have window doors, so you can actually see the light working in an ICU room.
Bill: Just fascinating, this new technology. Is this type of technology starting to gain more widespread acceptance throughout the medical community?
Anita: Yes it is, and they’re using it in a variety of ways, and so, what has happened is, now we’re getting more and more research to support it. So, as the research supports it, and as the hospitals are being accountable for outcomes, people are looking for new and better ways to give quality patient care. So, in infection prevention, the UV light therapy is really very popular right now, and being implemented, and being supported by the research being done as effective.
Bill: So, why is it important for Schneck to be at the forefront of this technology and step out with this new technology right away?
Anita: Well, Schneck, for being a community hospital, we always have been a forerunner in being innovative and thinking about the quality of patient care, and this is very important to leadership. When I presented this – I’ve been working on this for maybe a little over a year – when I presented this, it was important to leadership that we try to make this happen. So, we did research, we looked at the different UV lights, the products, looked at pricing. Can we afford it in the budget? The bottom line is that we felt like it was important enough to implement this for our patients, and so they found a way that we could do it.
Bill: I love it. I just love that commitment to adopting new technology, and the attempt to make the hospital safer because, obviously, there are germs, and, as you were talking about C. diff and other things, to go out and get that technology to try to eradicate that from the hospital. I think that’s wonderful. Anita, thank you so much for your time today and talking to us about the Clorox Optimum UV system. It’s absolutely fascinating. For more information, visit schneckmed.org. That’s schneckmed.org. This is Schneck Radio. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Clorox Optimum-UV System: For A Cleaner Hospital
Bill Klaproth (Host): There’s a new weapon in the fight against hospital infections using powerful ultraviolet technology, and it’s from none other than Clorox. It’s called the “Clorox Optimum UV System” and here to tell us more is Anita Reecer, a registered nurse who works in infection prevention at Schneck Medical Center. Anita, thank you so much for being on with us today. We look forward to learning about this new technology. So, this new system that uses ultraviolet rays to kill infectious viruses and bacteria – what are the most problematic viruses and bacteria that it kills?
Anita Reecer (Guest): I think the number one problematic bacteria for us is Clostridium difficile. You might hear it referred to as C. diff. It’s a very virulent bacteria that lives in the environments up to five months when it’s in its spore form. It can cause disease that can actually lead to death, so that’s a very, very important one, and that’s really probably the main reason that I wanted to get the ultraviolet light therapy because it’s very difficult to find a cleaner that is not damaging to the equipment that can actually eradicate Clostridium difficile.
Bill: So, how does this new system work, this light technology? For our listeners, explain. I’ve researched this a little. It’s supposed to be like this lightsaber. How does this thing work?
Anita: Well, it does not take the place of routine manual cleaning and disinfection in the room. Nothing will ever be able to take the place of that. However, it’s the supplement to that process, and the UV light will kill microorganisms. It damages the DNA so the cell cannot grow or reproduce, and so when they can’t replicate, they can no longer be infectious. So, when the cell death occurs, then this cleans the environment, and we, essentially, have a safer place for our patients.
Bill: So, this is used in conjunction with traditional cleaning methods then, is it? Right?
Anita: Yes, it is.
Bill: So, do you clean traditional first? I mean, how does that process work? Just give us a brief overview of the regular cleaning process.
Anita: Yes, every room, when we discharge a patient, we do what we call a “terminal clean”. So, our environmental services people go in the room, and they very systematically work their way around the room. They clean all areas--and they’ve been educated in what the high-touch areas are--and those are the areas in the room where hands go and where you have the highest risk for microorganism transfer. They’ll do an excellent terminal clean. Following the terminal clean, they will take the UV light in the room and then in the patient room they will do three five-minute cycles--one in the bathroom, two in the patient rooms--and at the end of those five minute cycles, the room will be disinfected.
Bill: That’s pretty amazing. So, how do you test its effectiveness then? How do you know this ultralight technology or ultraviolet light technology is working?
Anita: Well, we have several research studies now that have actually been able to link not only the fact that UV light kills microorganisms, because we have known that for years, but they have been able to do effective research to show that they have--the use of the UV light has decreased hospital associated infections. Also, as a hands-on process, I actually have some quality control cards, so I can take it in a room and I can set these cards up and there’s a color change, so I can make sure that I’m using the right amount of time, and the right amount of distance for that particular patient environment, so that the microorganisms are killed.
Bill: So, do you have multiple devices, then? If this takes basically 15 minutes per room, I’m sure you can’t do the whole hospital in a night. Or, you must keep it to certain floors or certain areas that are more prone to C. diff and MRSA infections?
Anita: Yes, we do. We actually have two devices, and we’re very, very fortunate to get two devices, and I have prioritized areas that will be cleaned first. The top priority is any room that has had a Clostridium difficile patient in it. We will do all of our OR sweep each night after the terminal clean. Also have an ob/or sweep in our OB unit, and that will be done every day after the last known scheduled surgery. We will do all the multi-drug resistant organisms’ rooms. We have a dialysis unit that doesn’t get used daily, but if we have a dialysis patient, that will be done. And then, once all those priorities are met, if the light’s free, units are also welcome to come and get those lights. For example, one of our medical units, the nurses have a process that they’re going to make sure that the light gets taken in every room on a monthly basis, and maybe even more frequently depending on the availability of the light.
Bill: I can’t imagine that this new technology or equipment would be cheap. This must be very important for you at Schneck to make this kind of commitment to safety and to ensure that these types of virus and bacteria don’t spread or don’t infect anybody. This type of cleaning must be very important to you.
Anita: Yes, it is, and I think at Schneck that we’ve always valued our patients. Patient quality care is very important to us, and we are always looking for ways that we can raise the bar and do something a little bit better. We’ve already worked with environmental services over the last few years, looking at our cleaning processes and we feel like we’ve made good strides there. So, this is just kind of the next step, because, again, Clostridium difficile is so difficult to eradicate in the environment. It’s something that we can do, where we can make sure that if we leave a microorganism behind, we have a way to remove it from the environment before a new patient goes in that room.
Bill: So, whatever the light touches, it cleans. Is that how it works basically?
Anita: The light has to shine on the object to actually kill the microorganism. There are other technologies out there that can kill microorganisms but the nice thing about the UV light is it can be done in a timely fashion. So, part of the training is, you set up a room appropriately. That means that when we go in a room, that it’s been terminally cleaned, and we’re going to use the UV light, we’re going to make sure the keyboard’s down, that the light can hit that. We’re going to make sure that the keyboards are going to shine on the call light. We’re going to make sure that it’s on the buttons on the phone. These are all high-touch areas. In the bathroom, we’re going to open up the shower curtains and the toilet seat will be down. There will be no linens on the bed. So, there are certain ways that you set up a room so that the light can do the best work that it can.
Bill: So, shining the light on those high-touch areas is very important. And, I can see now why the terminal clean is very important because underside of trays and things like that would be more difficult for the light to reach, those types of things, correct?
Anita: Correct. If the light’s not shining on the object, it will not kill the microorganisms. Therefore, there are shaded areas that might not get reached. However, by setting up a room appropriately, you should be able to expose those high-touch areas.
Bill: Can you see the light when it’s shining. If you’re looking from the hallway, is it a big blue light which is enveloping the whole room?
Anita: Well, it looks a little bit like heaven to me, because I love infection prevention and I want to kill the germs, but, actually, we close the patient door, and we put a little sign on the door because we know that UV light can be damaging to the eyes, and protect the eyes and the skin. However, you can view it through a window glass, so in our ICU room, we have window doors, so you can actually see the light working in an ICU room.
Bill: Just fascinating, this new technology. Is this type of technology starting to gain more widespread acceptance throughout the medical community?
Anita: Yes it is, and they’re using it in a variety of ways, and so, what has happened is, now we’re getting more and more research to support it. So, as the research supports it, and as the hospitals are being accountable for outcomes, people are looking for new and better ways to give quality patient care. So, in infection prevention, the UV light therapy is really very popular right now, and being implemented, and being supported by the research being done as effective.
Bill: So, why is it important for Schneck to be at the forefront of this technology and step out with this new technology right away?
Anita: Well, Schneck, for being a community hospital, we always have been a forerunner in being innovative and thinking about the quality of patient care, and this is very important to leadership. When I presented this – I’ve been working on this for maybe a little over a year – when I presented this, it was important to leadership that we try to make this happen. So, we did research, we looked at the different UV lights, the products, looked at pricing. Can we afford it in the budget? The bottom line is that we felt like it was important enough to implement this for our patients, and so they found a way that we could do it.
Bill: I love it. I just love that commitment to adopting new technology, and the attempt to make the hospital safer because, obviously, there are germs, and, as you were talking about C. diff and other things, to go out and get that technology to try to eradicate that from the hospital. I think that’s wonderful. Anita, thank you so much for your time today and talking to us about the Clorox Optimum UV system. It’s absolutely fascinating. For more information, visit schneckmed.org. That’s schneckmed.org. This is Schneck Radio. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.