title: Lower infection rates after introduction of a photocatalytic surface coating.
abstract: Health care facilities contain potentially contaminated surfaces that are either difficult to sanitize or prone to recontamination. Photocatalytic materials exhibit antimicrobial activity when exposed to light and provide a safe, durable coating on a wide range of surfaces. We assessed infection rates before and after introduction of a photocatalytic coating in our facility. Infection rates decreased overall by 30%, a change that was statistically significant (P = .02). Similar changes to the built environment merit additional investigation.
authors.affiliation: Budd Terrace at Wesley Woods, Emory Healthcare of Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: john.r.pulliam@emoryhealthcare.org.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Pulliam
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006268:Health Facilities; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008134:Long-Term Care; D010782:Photolysis; D013499:Surface Properties
keywords: Antimicrobial; Health care–acquired infection; Photocatalysis; Titanium dioxide