St. Charles Bend (Ore.) Medical Center uses a disinfection robot that bathes the ORs in UV light after they manually disinfects the operating room, according to an article on the Outpatient Surgery website.
"When you bathe the room in ultraviolet light, you're scrubbing the atmosphere, so it kills everything in the surrounding environment," Randy Barnes, director of hospitality services, said in the article.
The choice on how to disinfect an operating room comes down to convenience, caseload and cost.
St. Charles Bend brought in a robot for a 45-day trial. Satisfied with the results, the a facility now intends to invest in three more: one for the ORs; one for patient rooms; and one to be used as a floater.