Measuring silver linings: Advancements in robotic cleaning tech following the pandemic

Los Angeles/CA – A research group has shown autonomous disinfection robots double the amount of germ-killing UV-C light received on hospital surfaces compared to non-autonomous devices. The peer-reviewed study, conducted by Clean Sweep Group, Inc (CSGI) along with researchers from Providence
Holy Cross Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was published online December 16, 2022 in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.1

“The pandemic led to dramatic advancements in UV-C disinfection technology. Now hospitals and service-providers like CSGI have a much larger range of options for UV-C disinfection systems. The purpose of the study was to determine which type of UV-C placement strategy performs best in a hospital
setting: autonomous or non-autonomous” said lead author and CSGI’s Vice President of Research and Development Cody Haag.

CSGI has been using UV-C light emitting devices to kill bacteria and viruses on surfaces in healthcare and commercial environments since 2011. UV-C is an adjunct disinfection step many hospitals use to reduce the risk of infection for patients and is a cleaning best-practice according to guidelines.2 Before 2022, CSGI used a variety of stationarily placed UV-C emitters and succeeded in reducing hospital-acquired infections.3,4

The research group placed EIT UV Key light sensors in multiple patient care settings to quantify the UV-C dosages achieved on surfaces. They ran autonomous and non-autonomous strategies for equal amounts of time and compared the outcomes.

“We modified a stationary UV-C emitter with a remote-control platform allowing us to replicate different placement strategies using one UV-C device” said CSGI’s George Holliday and study co-author. “Secondarily, we compared the results of our modified autonomous emitter with a commercially-available autonomous device.”

The results showed the autonomous strategy more than doubled the overall amount of UV-C light on the sensors. Further, the autonomous strategy was able to provide UV-C light on surfaces that were entirely shadowed to other strategies.

“The goal is to improve patient safety and reduce the transmission of infections,” said Mark House, CSGI’s Executive Vice President of Operations. “Higher UV-C dosages from autonomous devices, especially on sometimes shadowed surfaces like patient bed rails, may further reduce hospital-acquired infections.”

According to Leo Williams, President and CEO of CSGI, “This was the evidence needed to adopt an autonomous device for the CSGI UV-C disinfection service. I am confident we are providing the best disinfection outcome possible for our customers.”

Direct link to study: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/abs/comparing-uvc-dosages-of-emitter-placement-strategies-in-a-community-hospital-setting/33E358712EE7280E492ECE43829114E9

About Clean Sweep Group Inc.
Clean Sweep Group, Inc (CSGI) is a contracted UV-C disinfection service-provider based in Los Angeles, CA, specializing in healthcare and commercial environments. CSGI’s UV-C disinfection service is proven to reduce hospital-acquired infections in peer-reviewed studies and has saved hospital clients up to $1.2 million per year in avoided healthcare costs. 3,4

For more information, please visit CSGIUSA.COM or call CSGI at 888.631.0054.

  1. Haag C, Holliday G, Archulet K, Tang W. Comparing UV-C dosages of emitter placement strategies in a community hospital setting. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022; 1-3. doi:10.1017/ice.2022.282
  2. Rutala W, Weber D. Best practices for disinfection of noncritical environmental surfaces and equipment in health care facilities: A bundle approach. Am J Infect Control 2019;47(Supplement):A96-A105.
  3. Napolitano N, Mahapatra T, Tang W. The effectiveness of UV-C radiation for facility-wide environmental disinfection to reduce health care-acquired infections. Am J Infect Control 2015;43(12):1342-6.
  4. Raggi R, Archulet K, Haag CW, Tang W. Clinical, operational, and financial impact of an ultraviolet-C terminal disinfection intervention at a community hospital. Am J Infect Control 2018;46(11):1224-1229.