Capital Region Medical Center has acquired a disinfection robot to ensure clean, safe environments within the Jefferson City hospital.
The "total room ultraviolet disinfection" (Tru-D) creates a germ-free environment by using ultraviolet-C light to modify the DNA or RNA (present in all living cells) structure of an infectious cell, according to a CRMC news release. Ultraviolet-C is one of three types of invisible light rays (together with ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B) given off by the sun. Although the most dangerous of the three, ultraviolet-C cannot penetrate the Earth's ozone layer.
"The device's sensors calculate the amount of UVC energy needed to disinfect an entire room while compensating for room variables, such as size, shape, surface reflectivity and contents, to deliver a lethal dose, effectively eliminating lingering pathogens in the space.
"After a hospital staff member cleans the room using traditional cleaning protocols, Tru-D is rolled in to complete the disinfection process," according to the CRMC news release. "The robot is operated by a remote control outside the room and features an application that tracks infection control data while simultaneously uploading the information to the device web portal."
Tru-D then notifies the operator via audio or text message that the process is finished.