Relevance of UV disinfection methods for hospital hygiene

E Kraft, J Kunzmann, M Kunzmann, J Steinmann, FHH Brill

HosCom Hospital Communication International 2025 vol.1, pages 2 + 3

Background: Approximately 400,000 to 600,000 nosocomial infections occur every year in Germany alone. These figures illustrate that the prevention of nosocomial infections is enormously important when it comes to Patient care in hospitals. The transmission of and infection with bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites can occur in various ways. In addition to Hand and skin contact, contaminated surfaces or medical devices are also potential causes of transmission, as are contaminated drinking water and pathogens in the air. Efficient and reliably effective disinfection methods are key to the successful prevention of hospital-acquired infections, one example of which that damages microorganisms is irradiation with ultraviolet light (UV). The effectiveness of UV-C radiation in preventing microbial growth, in addition to eradicating and reducing the persistence of microorganisms was first discovered in 1877 and has been described and proven many times since. UV-C disinfection works by damaging the genetic material of microorganisms using high-energy and short-wavelength radiation of 254 nm using, e.g. a low-pressure mercury lamp. The further away the irradiated surface is from the light source, the less effective the disinfection and thus the damage to the potentially pathogenic agents. Essentially, the irradiation time and intensity must be sufficient to achieve the desired result. However, microorganisms react with varying degrees of sensitivity to UV-C radiation.