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Hospital air conditioning ensures that the special needs of patients and health care workers are met, specifically to provide them with adequate thermal comfort while preventing transmission of diseases.
With climate patterns changing and increasing temperatures in Brisbane and across the rest of Queensland, protecting vulnerable patients remains a main priority for the healthcare sector. In hospitals, air conditioning can play a role beyond the promotion of comfort. In many cases, proper air conditioning is a factor in patient therapy and recovery. Patients in well-controlled environments tend to show more rapid physical improvement than those in poorly controlled environments
Aside from this, hospital air conditioning plays a crucial role in hospital infection control strategies.
Different rooms in healthcare facilities have varied infection control requirements, meaning there are also individual HVAC needs between units. For example, an isolation room may have a different temperature and air filtration requirement than a common ward.
Infection may arise through viral, bacterial, or fungal sources and there are four modes of disease transmission which makes HVAC design a key to controlling airborne infection transmission.
In the context of Covid-19, air conditioning systems are now being scrutinised by experts as there are concerns about its potential contribution in the spread of infection. In Brazil, the coronavirus found in a hospital air duct has led scientists to believe that the disease could be spread through air conditioning units, making it more contagious than initially thought.
While this remains a potential risk factor, there are also solutions that can be implemented to ensure your hospital or medical centre is providing the best possible filtration and air conditioning results.
Strategies such as creating airborne infection isolation room with negative pressure and highly controlled airflow through specifically located vents can limit the transmission of airflow from one space to another. HVAC systems also play an increasingly important role to minimise the risk of infection from airborne transmission within the built environment and within healthcare facilities.
CLF Services, one of Brisbane’s top-rated service providers of air conditioning systems, have licensed professionals who are knowledgeable about current HVAC systems requirements in hospitals. Call them today for inquiries and to know more about current standards.
Note: CLF Services always work within the recommendations and guidelines of the Federal and Queensland Health Departments when it comes to reducing the risk of the transmission of diseases such as COVID-19 through air conditioning solutions. Any information provided here is general in nature.
