The Importance of Ventilation in Hospitals: Keeping Patients & Staff Safe and Healthy
Indoor air quality in hospitals is more important than ever. Having top-notch hospital ventilation is not just a question of comfort, but also of sanitation and safety.
Improving and maintaining your hospital’s HVAC is crucial to success. We’ve gathered information on the importance of proper ventilation in hospitals, and how you can improve your hospital’s HVAC system.
What Is the Importance of Proper Ventilation in a Hospital?
Airflow and ventilation are a matter of safety in hospital settings. If the building is not properly ventilated, airborne illnesses and harmful bacteria can wreak havoc on vulnerable patients and staff.
Hospital HVAC systems are different from the ones found in homes and commercial buildings. Hospital HVAC systems are designed to not only cool and heat the air, but also to remove potentially harmful airborne contaminants such as bacteria, fungi, and airborne viruses.
Due to the delicate medical nature of a hospital setting, dangerous airborne contaminants must be contained quickly, as they can rapidly spread in a hospital environment. If the HVAC system is not functioning properly, the hospital’s sanitation is compromised, allowing dangerous airborne pathogens such as meningitis, whooping cough, and COVID-19 to spread.
Not only does proper hospital ventilation help stop the spread of contaminants, but it also can aid in patient recovery. Read on to learn more about the importance of hospital indoor air quality standards and how you can improve the ventilation of your hospital.
5 Functions of Good Hospital Ventilation
Did you know that a lack of ventilation can cause lowered overall patient health? Here are just a few of the reasons indoor air quality in hospitals is so important:
#1: Removes Contaminants
Control and management of hospital indoor air quality is important to the health and well-being of patients and staff. A hospital HVAC system differs from a residential HVAC system; hospital HVAC systems are designed to filter and capture harmful airborne contaminants that could spread infection and disease.
Studies have shown the importance of proper ventilation in hospitals. Ventilation is important not only to sick and recovering patients but also to the staff that cares for them. If infection spreads and medical staff becomes ill, the hospital could be left short-staffed to help patients with possibly deadly results.
To learn more about hospital ventilation and HVAC check out Heritage System Services or give us a call.
#2: Regulates Humidity
No one likes a hot humid room. But did you know that managing humidity is also crucial to indoor air quality in hospitals?
High humidity can cause mold growth, which is dangerous to patients with lung disorders or compromised immune systems. Studies have also shown that the moisture caused by humidity can severely damage hospital equipment. Managing humidity in a hospital setting protects both patients and expensive medical equipment.
#3: Removes Odors
Hospitals have a lot of smells, not all of them pleasant. While odors might not necessarily be dangerous to patients and staff, they make the hospital feel unsanitary. Fresh air is helpful to patient healing and overall comfort.
A good hospital HVAC system will help mitigate some odors that are bound to occur in a medical setting. If you are in the Pacific Northwest, you are in luck — Heritage System Services can help improve and maintain hospital HVAC-R systems at a reasonable cost.
#4: Helps Maintain Regulatory Compliance
A poorly ventilated hospital can be dangerous to staff and patients, which is why the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) has created compliance regulations for hospital HVAC systems.
If your hospital fails to meet these requirements they could face steep fines. In addition, a faulty HVAC system and low indoor air quality in a hospital could potentially lead to medical malpractice lawsuits.
Having a well-functioning HVAC system shows your patients and staff that you care about their health, and that you are doing everything in your power to ensure their safety.
To learn more about improving indoor air quality for healthcare facilities check out Heritage System Services for all your medical HVAC-R needs.
#5: Promotes Comfort, Wellbeing & Health of Patients, Visitors, and Staff
Not being able to control airborne contaminants means exposing doctors, nurses, and everyone else to potential sickness. An outbreak in a hospital might have deadly consequences.
Poor HVAC in a hospital setting may put everyone at risk. Hospitals must protect their patients, as well as anyone else who may be in the healthcare facility. Hospitals are full of people who need to be protected from airborne pathogens, such as:
- Expectant mothers and their babies
- Friends and family visiting
- Patients recovering from surgery
- All staff, including janitorial, food service, etc
Americans are very aware of the dangers of airborne diseases. That is why control and management of hospital indoor air quality is more important than ever.
5 Strategies for Maintaining Optimum Indoor Air Quality in Hospitals
The science is clear: hospital ventilation and air quality matters. Not monitoring indoor air quality and neglecting the hospital’s HVAC-R system might open the hospital to potential lawsuits.
Luckily, maintaining indoor air quality in hospitals is easier than ever. Implement the following tips for improving hospital ventilation and air quality.
#1: Schedule Regular Maintenance
There is a lot to manage inside a hospital, and sometimes HVAC maintenance falls by the wayside.
However, regular maintenance is key to keeping hospital indoor air quality standards high. Things like a broken fan or a clogged filter may not be immediately obvious to hospital staff, but can greatly reduce ventilation and airflow, allowing harmful air contaminants to thrive. The only way to ensure that your hospital has proper ventilation is to have your HVAC system evaluated by a professional, such as the technicians at Heritage System Services.
#2: Use High-Efficiency Air Filters
Air filters are the unsung heroes of hospital ventilation systems. High-Efficiency Air Filters (HEPA) catch and contain dangerous airborne contaminants, such as:
- Dangerous Microorganisms: These microorganisms include airborne viruses, like Covid-19, as well as harmful bacteria and fungi. If HEPA filters are not changed regularly, they can host these microorganisms, contributing to the health hazard.
- Allergens: Allergens are always annoying, but can be deadly in a hospital setting, especially for patients with respiratory problems or anyone with a compromised immune system. HEPA filters remove allergens like dust mites, pollen, and mold spores from the air and are very important to hospital air quality.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Did you know that many common cleaning and sanitizing agents release potentially dangerous chemical compounds? These VOCs can have negative health effects for people who are regularly exposed to them, such as cleaning staff. However, a hospital’s need for clinical sanitation means that certain cleaning products must be used, making VOCs unavoidable. However, with the right HVAC ventilation and HEPA filters, the negative impact of VOCs can be significantly lessened.
Want to learn more about HEPA filters? Reach out to Heritage Service Systems and ask about their hospital ventilation and air filtration systems.
#3: Install UVGI Systems
For control and management of hospital indoor air quality, there are few things as useful as UVGI systems.
UVGI stands for Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation. It is the clinical use of ultraviolet (UV) light to kill dangerous microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. A UVGI system in a hospital setting specifically uses UV-C energy because it has a shorter light wavelength, making it less harmful to humans than UV-A and UV-B waves while still being deadly to microorganisms.
How does a UVGI system in a hospital setting work?
- UVGI systems are usually mounted flush to the wall, high up for maximum exposure.
- UVGI creates a “disinfection zone” with specialty UV lighting.
- The hospital HVAC system directs air through this disinfection zone, killing any airborne microorganisms that could be detrimental to patients and staff.
UVGI systems should be installed by experts to ensure maximum efficiency and safety for people in the hospital. To learn more about having a UVGI system installed in your PNW hospital, reach out to Heritage Service Systems.
#4: Ensure Proper Ventilation Design and Cleanliness
HVAC design has evolved greatly over the past several years. If your hospital is old, it may not have the best ventilation design. If you want to improve your hospital’s indoor air quality, you need to have a professional HVAC-R company come to assess your HVAC ventilation. They can point out areas where airborne pathogens can linger and offer solutions to make your hospital safer.
In addition to ventilation design, Hospital HVAC ducts must be regularly cleaned to function properly. This cleaning is not just about removing dust and debris from your HVAC vents, but it also:
- Improves hospital indoor air quality
- Improves HVAC performance
- Increases energy efficiency of HVAC
- Reduces the spread of contaminants through the hospital’s HVAC system
Hospital HVAC systems face unique challenges, and no one understands that better than Heritage Service Systems. Our technicians are trained to work in healthcare environments and understand the specific HVAC needs of a medical center. Reach out today to schedule an inspection and see how Heritage Service Systems can make your hospital a safer place.
#5: Frequently Monitor Air Quality
When air quality dips, it is already too late. The best way to maintain good indoor air quality for your hospital is to maintain the HVAC system and frequently test the air quality.
An HVAC company that is familiar with hospital settings will conduct regular monitoring of indoor air quality to identify issues early and take corrective actions.
Choose Heritage Systems Services for the Control and Management of Your Hospital’s Indoor Air Quality
Hospital ventilation is important not just to vulnerable patients, doctors, and nurses but to all hospital staff and visitors. Hospital HVAC is more than just keeping the temperature, it is also controlling indoor air quality and minimizing the spread of harmful contaminants.
Hospital HVAC needs are special. With over 20 years of experience servicing hospitals in the PNW, Heritage System Services technicians are specially trained to work with hospitals and medical centers. We have the tools and the know-how to get your hospital’s HVAC up to OSHA standards with cutting-edge technology.
Curious about how we can help your hospital? Give us a call or check out our website to learn more!
The content in this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.