Cleaning the air with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation lessened contact infections in a long-term acute care hospital.

Background: This study was designed to determine whether removing bacteria from the air with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UV-C) at the room level would reduce infection rates.

Methods: We reviewed infection data for 12 months before and after UV-C installation in the special care unit (SCU) of a long-term acute care hospital. All patients admitted to the SCU during the study time frame were included.