In the life-or-death world of healthcare, it is widely acknowledged that a comprehensive approach to infection prevention is critical to enhancing patient safety and reducing the staggering number of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) that occur each year. A meta-analysis1 which examined several previously published studies on HAIs, which was conducted in 2020, highlighted the six most commonly implemented methods of infection prevention in hospitals and found that hand hygiene (though a centuries-old concept) is still the leading approach to infection prevention around the world. While human error, negligence and laziness when it comes to hand hygiene may be outside the control of hospital administrators and decision-makers, maintaining a safe and clean hospital environment shouldn’t be.
Studies have unequivocally proven that proper hand hygiene can slash HAIs by up to 45%. The caveat, however, lies in the “up to”, or in the fact that it is almost impossible to implement a data-driven hand hygiene policy and enforce compliance effectively over time. Regrettably, rushed hospital staff often opt to skip critical steps in their routines and break protocol; and one of the most commonly neglected practices is thorough handwashing. While privacy-compliant sensors can help track trends across shifts and wards, etc., the real game-changer for infection prevention in hospital settings is UV-C disinfection brought to you by HygenX AI.
Healthcare-acquired infections result in $96-$147 billion in avoidable annual costs to US hospitals2. Of these HAIs, 20% are surgical site infections (SSI), which extend hospital stays by 9.7 days on average at a cost of $20,000 per admission3. UV-C alone has been proven to reduce HAIs by 35%4 and HygenX AI’s AI-driven, autonomous UV-C robotic disinfection solutions are safe, fast, 99.99% effective and represent a cost savings of 30% over current methods as of the second year5. UV-C disinfection is ideal for both terminal room disinfection (total disinfection of patient rooms between occupants) and for use in operating rooms.
Surgical Suite Disinfection
Since 20% of HAIs are SSIs, and SSIs affect 2-4% of patients undergoing inpatient surgery in the United States6; and HygenX AI's UV-C disinfection technology can prevent 35% of these surgical site infections from occurring, an average hospital could potentially save over $600,000 annually7.
While the established direct costs of treating HAIs are substantial, there is also the indirect cost of HAI patients occupying beds which could be filled with paying patients. Hospitals lose out on several million dollars in revenue due to the unavailability of beds for paying patients. Furthermore, exposure to harsh and/or improperly managed chemical disinfectants can also jeopardize the safety of hospital staff and patients alike and could result in the hospital’s liability for further treatment costs or additional PTO.
HygenX AI offers a revolutionary approach to infection prevention with its suite of products:
In conclusion, the financial benefits of utilizing HygenX AI’s UV-C disinfection technology are undeniable; and by harnessing the powers of real-time analytics, automation and AI-driven innovations, hospitals stand to not only save millions of dollars, but elevate patient-care standards, patient satisfaction, and staff wellbeing.
To learn more about our products and their applications, visit the SparX or RAY webpages, or get in touch with us directly.
.webp){kind=small}