The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has engaged with the International Ultra Violet Association (IUVA) and its member companies and affiliates to explore ways to develop needed standards, determine appropriate testing protocols, and transfer the technology to help to reduce these inharmonious market conditions. Collaborative efforts are underway to develop science-based answers to the healthcare industry’s questions surrounding standards and measures of device disinfection efficacy, as well as reliability, operations and durability. These issues were recently discussed at the IUVA 2018 America’s Conference in Redondo Beach, CA in several panel sessions. A major output of the sessions was the formation of a formal IUVA Working Group for the development of antimicrobial standards and initiatives for the healthcare industry. The goal of this working group is to provide global guidance, with specific programs and deliverables, on the use of UV technologies and standards to combat HAIs and to further the stated aims of the IUVA on its outreach to the healthcare industry. This paper reviews the strong collaboration between NIST and its industry partners pursuing the development of standards, guidelines and guidance documents related to healthcare applications that include standard methods for validating performance of UV devices and test guidelines for efficacy measurements. In addition, an overview of the issues, problems, and a summary of the needs confronting future growth and success of the UV industry in the Nation’s healthcare application space is provided. |
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CITATIONS
Cited by 3 scholarly publications.
Standards development
Medicine
Ultraviolet radiation
Manufacturing
Pathogens
Measurement devices
Organisms