부산대학교 도서관

Hospital environments and medical devices are prone to contamination by multidrug-resistant bacteria. The effectiveness of environmental cleaning practices in hospitals is often suboptimal due to various factors, including human error, the physical and chemical properties of the environment, and the survival capabilities of microorganisms. This study, conducted from April to June 2018 at a medical center in central Taiwan, involved collecting surface and air samples from patient rooms in the medical intensive care unit during patient discharge or transfer. The samples underwent analysis in three stages: before UV-C treatment, after UV-C treatment, and after UV-C treatment followed by a bleach procedure, to assess the efficacy of disinfecting high-contact surfaces. The analysis included ATP bioluminescence testing, colony counting, and bacterial species identification. Air samples were also evaluated for colony counting and bacterial species identification before and after UV-C treatment. A total of 2,110 surface samples were collected. The results indicated a significant decrease in ATP values, colony counts, and bacterial species diversity at ten high-contact surface locations across three stages: before UV-C treatment, after UV-C treatment, and after UV-C treatment followed by a bleach procedure. Additionally, 144 air samples, including those taken pre- and post-UV-C treatment, were collected. The findings revealed a significant reduction in colony counts (p ＜ 0.001) and bacterial species diversity (p = 0.0039). The clearance rate for drug-resistant strains reached 93.75%. The use of high-performance UV-C germicidal devices for terminal cleaning in patient rooms markedly improved the cleanliness of environmental surfaces and air by reducing the total colony count and bacterial species. This method should be considered an effective strategy for hospital environmental disinfection, especially in combating drug-resistant bacterial contamination.