An assessment of a hybrid lighting system that employs ultraviolet-A for mitigating healthcare-associated infections in a newborn intensive care unit

• Published in: Lighting research & technology (London, England : 2001) Vol. 52; no. 6; pp. 704 - 721
• Main Authors: Brons, JA, Bierman, A, White, R, Benner, K, Deng, L, Rea, MS
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.10.2020
• ISSN: 1477-1535; 1477-0938
• DOI: 10.1177/1477153520904107

Reducing healthcare-associated infections is critically important. A new hybrid lighting system technology, designed to provide both visible white light and disinfecting UV-A (λmax = 366 nm) radiation, was retrofitted into a modern hospital newborn intensive care unit. The UV-A dosing was set to levels calculated to be safe for human occupation (maximum of 10 W m−2 for 8 hours at eye level). Eight-hour exposures at 3 W m−2 on newborn intensive care unit counter surfaces were effective for suppressing selected pathogens identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as problematic for healthcare facilities. Professional staff accepted the hybrid lighting system, although its implementation in this newborn intensive care unit was not completely satisfactory. An analysis of photodegrading effects suggested that UV-A resistant equipment and furnishing may need to be installed with this technology. The present findings should form the foundation for the next generation of this lighting technology.