Effectiveness of ultraviolet-C disinfection systems for reduction of multi-drug resistant organism infections in healthcare settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to summarise the findings of the studies assessing the effectiveness of ultraviolet C (UV-C) room disinfection in reducing the incidence rate of healthcare-associated multi-drug-resistant organism (MDRO) infections. A systematic screening was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental studies, and before-after studies, which assessed the efficacy of the UV-C disinfectant system in reducing the incidence of MDRO infections. A random-effects model was used for the analysis. Effect sizes were described as incidence rate ratio (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Nine studies were included, all of which were conducted in the USA. No statistically significant reduction in Clostridioides difficile (CD) (IRR: 0.90, 95% CI; 0.62-1.32) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcal (VRE) infection rates (IRR 0.72, 95% CI; 0.38-1.37) was observed with the use of UV-C, but the risk of Gram-negative rod infection was reduced (IRR 0.82, 95% CI; 0.68-0.99).