Linda Lybert is a health care surface safety expert, executive director of the Healthcare Surfaces Institute, and president of Healthcare Surface Consulting. She focuses on surfaces and their role in the acquisition and transmission of pathogens, as well as how they can cause health care–associated infections.
New evidence suggests UV-C disinfection may do more than reduce pathogens. Repeated exposure can also damage common health care plastics, potentially creating microcracks and roughened surfaces that harbor microorganisms. Experts say material compatibility must become part of every UV-C infection prevention strategy.
The surface material and product damage caused by new advances in disinfection technology must be addressed for patient safety.
