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CHRISTUS St. Vincent is one step closer to winning the war against hospital-acquired infection, thanks in part to two new state-of-the- art UV-C disinfection devices. UV-C light (short wavelength ultraviolet light) disinfection is the latest technology to be used to combat the most challenging microbes in hospitals nationwide. After a contaminated patient room is cleaned and chemically disinfected, a UV-C device is used to neutralize any infectious microbes that might remain. Because of its specific wavelength range, UV-C light is uniquely capable of damaging microorganisms, rendering them incapable of being infectious. Since 2015, the CHRISTUS St."Vincent's Clinician-Directed Performance Improvement program (CDPI), in partnership with hospital- acquired infection task forces, has conducted extensive research to better understand how infections occur within the hospital. Their findings have driven the implementation of advanced protocols for use of central venous catheters, urinary catheterization, use of antibiotics to prevent surgical wound infections, hand hygiene, ceiling- to-floor chemical room disinfection, and the early identification, isolation and treatment of incoming patients carrying infectious diseases. "Hospitals provide essential care but not without some risk of infection and other complications," says Lara Goitein,"M.D., medical director of CDPI. "All hospitals struggle with this. No one wants to minimize that risk more than the doctors and nurses caring for patients every day. CDPI gives our doctors and nurses the data, methods and resources they need to care for their patients at a systems level, as well as at the bedside." LIGHTING THE WAY Armed with new knowledge, processes and technology, hospital teams have placed an emphasis on fighting Clostridium diƒcile (C. diƒcile), a particularly menacing pathogen common to hospitals nationwide. C. diƒcile infections cause inflammation of the colon and severe diarrhea that can be fatal, particularly for patients 65 and older. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of all hospital patients with C."diƒcile infections are infected prior to admission and may spread the infection within the facility. In July of this year, the first full month of using UV-C disinfection in tandem with new chemical disinfection and patient isolation procedures, CHRISTUS St."Vincent saw zero incidences of hospital-acquired C. diƒcile. "This is a huge milestone for CDPI and our C."diƒcile task force," says M. Dominick Armijo, lead internal medicine RN for CDPI. "We're witnessing first-hand how evidence-based, best practice processes can improve patient safety. We're proud of what we've been able to accomplish." ✚ ON HAI A UV-C disinfection device at work in a CHRISTUS St. Vincent patient room. While unsafe to be in the room when the device is operating, UV-C light cannot pass through glass and poses no risk to anyone on the other side. M. Dominick Armijo, lead internal medicine RN for CHRISTUS St. Vincent's Clinician- Directed Performance Improvement program, adjusts settings on one of the hospital's two new UV-C devices. SHINING A LIGHT New technology and protocols give CHRISTUS St.‚Vincent an edge in the fight against hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Fall 2016 | st vin.org HEALTH ADVANCES 9