How Does a Photocatalytic Antimicrobial Coating Affect Environmental Bioburden in Hospitals?

Reid, Matthew; Whatley, Vanessa; Spooner, Emma; Nevill, Alan M.; Cooper, Michael; Ramsden, Jeremy J.; Dancer, Stephanie J.

Abstract

BACKGROUND The healthcare environment is recognized as a source for healthcare-acquired infection. Because cleaning practices are often erratic and always intermittent, we hypothesize that continuously antimicrobial surfaces offer superior control of surface bioburden. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of a photocatalytic antimicrobial coating at near-patient, high-touch sites in a hospital ward. SETTING The study took place in 2 acute-care wards in a large acute-care hospital. METHODS A titanium dioxide-based photocatalytic coating was sprayed onto 6 surfaces in a 4-bed bay in a ward and compared under normal illumination against the same surfaces in an untreated ward: right and left bed rails, bed control, bedside locker, overbed table, and bed footboard. Using standardized methods, the overall microbial burden and presence of an indicator pathogen (Staphylococcus aureus) were assessed biweekly for 12 weeks. RESULTS Treated surfaces demonstrated significantly lower microbial burden than control sites, and the difference increased between treated and untreated surfaces during the study. Hygiene failures (>2.5 colony-forming units [CFU]/cm2) increased 2.6% per day for control surfaces (odds ratio [OR], 1.026; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.009-1.043; P=.003) but declined 2.5% per day for treated surfaces (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.925-0.977; P

Citation

Reid, M., Whatley, V., Spooner, E., Nevill, A. M., Cooper, M., Ramsden, J. J., & Dancer, S. J. (2018). How Does a Photocatalytic Antimicrobial Coating Affect Environmental Bioburden in Hospitals?. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 39(4), 398-404. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2017.297

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 27, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Feb 12, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018-04
• Deposit Date: Apr 11, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 13, 2018
• Journal: Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
• Print ISSN: 0899-823X
• Electronic ISSN: 1559-6834
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 398-404
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2017.297
• Keywords: Microbiology (medical); Epidemiology; Infectious Diseases
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1149612
• Contract Date: Apr 11, 2018