UV Room Disinfection: Estimating Labor Costs and Understanding Common Use Scenarios

Ultraviolet (UV) room disinfection devices have been gaining popularity since 2010, when ECRI Institute first began receiving information requests about them. Ultraviolet C (UVC) light has been shown to be effective in killing a wide range of viral and bacterial pathogens (Rutala et al. 2010, Nerandzic et al. 2014, Nerandzic et al. 2010). Limited evidence suggests that the use of UV room disinfection devices after terminal room cleaning may reduce the rate of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Given that the cost of one Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection has been estimated to be $2,500 to $13,000 for a primary infection, and up to $34,000 for a recurrent infection, reducing the rate of HAIs can save a facility thousands of dollars in unreimbursed expenses (Dubberke et al. 2008, Ghantoji et al. 2010, Rodrigues et al. 2017, Shah et al. 2016).

At the same time, UV room disinfection devices can themselves represent a significant expense, and it's important to consider the ongoing costs associated with effective use. In this article, we discuss major cost considerations and describe common use scenarios to help estimate the costs a facility should budget for.

Determining the total cost of use of a UV room disinfection device is complex, with many considerations beyond just the device acquisition cost. Major cost considerations fall...