UV light disinfection significantly reduces Clostridium difficile incidence

Ultraviolet C light disinfection to clean unoccupied patient rooms significantly reduced C. difficile infections (CDI) in high-risk patients who later occupied those rooms, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The no-touch device, used after patients with CDI were discharged from the hospital, also resulted in substantial healthcare savings, estimated between $350,000 and $1.5 million annually.