Hospital Indoor Air Quality in Respect to Transmission of Infection

Abstract

Airborne organisms, common in the hospital environment, can pose serious threats to patients—immune-suppressed and immune-deficient patients in particular. Though many of the infections in hospitals are transmitted through hand contact, surgical appliances, catheterization, intubation, or while on ventilation, it is an accepted fact that most of the opportunistic pathogens causing hospital-acquired infections (HAI) are at least partly airborne. They may be non-respiratory, but they get partly airborne before settling on the wound, or medical equipment/appliances. Setting in proper indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters, like temperature, humidity, dilution, filtration, pressurization, properly locating air terminal units, supported by planned installation, operation and maintenance through a robust protocol, reduces growth, count and transportability of infectious pathogens in hospital environment. Various codes and standards of American Society for Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), World Health Orhanisation (WHO), National Building code (NBC) and Facility Guideline Institute (FGI) give guidance in regard to IAQ in hospitals. A snapshot of healthcare industry shows that many hospitals are not following the guidelines. Advanced infection control measures, like ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), though being used, are not being located properly. Even IAQ is not being mentioned as an important parameter in the infection control manuals for hospitals. This is causing large number of hospital-acquired infection and associated deaths.