scholarly journals Chemical Pollution in Healing Spaces: The Decalogue of the Best Practices for Adequate Indoor Air Quality in Inpatient Rooms

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (22) ◽  
pp. 4388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Gola ◽  
Gaetano Settimo ◽  
Stefano Capolongo
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Interdisciplinary Knowledge ◽  
Management Decision Making ◽  
Reported Data

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of the main topics in which governments are focusing. In healthcare facilities, several studies have reported data analysis and case studies to improve users’ health. Nowadays, although many studies have been conducted related to the biological and physical risks, the chemical risks have been less investigated and only in some specific functional areas of the hospitals. Starting from some systematic reviews and research works, this paper aims to list the best healthy practices for an adequate IAQ in inpatient wards. In particular, the decalogue lists the strategies related to chemical pollution, starting from design and management, with a focus on (a) localization of hospitals and inpatient rooms, (b) hospital room, (c) microclimatic parameters, (d) ventilation systems, (e) materials and finishing, (f) furniture and equipment, (g) cleaning products and activities, (h) maintenance and (i) management activities, and (l) users and workers. The multidisciplinary approach emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary knowledge and skills aimed to find solutions able to protect users’ health status. The design and management decision-making, ranging from the adequate choices of construction site and hospital exposure, finishing materials, cleaning and maintenance activities, etc., which can affect the IAQ must be carried out based on scientific research and data analysis.

scholarly journals How Can Design Features and Other Factors Affect the Indoor Air Quality in Inpatient Rooms? Check-Lists for the Design Phase, Daily Procedures and Maintenance Activities for Reducing the Air Concentrations of Chemical Pollution

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4280
Author(s):  
Marco Gola ◽  
Gaetano Settimo ◽  
Stefano Capolongo
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Energetic Efficiency ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Interdisciplinary Knowledge ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Maintenance Activities ◽  
Reported Data

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is one of main topics of Public Health on which international institutions and countries are taking action. With regards to healing architectures, several studies have reported data analysis and case studies to improve users’ health (patients, and medical and administrative staffs), but there are not enough regarding volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Regarding chemical pollution of indoor air, the Scientific Community has highlighted that there are several factors that affect the IAQ, in particular the design and management, and energetic efficiency, of inpatient wards. Several stakeholders, from the designers to the managers, are responsible for the indoor air in healing environments. Supported by analysis of the State of the Art and the main factors that influence the heterogeneous scenario of inpatient wards, the paper presents three check-lists, designed for supporting the stakeholders during the design phase, or for the daily procedures and maintenance activities, for pre-assessment of factors that affect chemical pollution, and for the definition of strategies to be applied. In fact, in such environments IAQ assumes a particular meaning and importance, both for the vulnerability of the patients and for the long time spent by the sanitary staff. The multidisciplinary approach emphasizes the continuous need for interdisciplinary knowledge and skills aimed at finding solutions able to protect users’ health status (including patients, workers and visitors), especially in the field of the indoor air issue.

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality in Inpatient Environments: A Systematic Review on Factors that Influence Chemical Pollution in Inpatient Wards

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Gola ◽  
Gaetano Settimo ◽  
Stefano Capolongo
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Ventilation Systems

Introduction. Indoor air quality is one the main issues in which governments are focusing. In healing spaces, several research studies are reporting a growing number of data analysis and research works in order to guarantee and prevent health of users and workers. Currently the main investigations are about biological and physical risks; otherwise chemical ones are less investigated. Several countries are carrying out indoor air quality monitoring in those professional workplaces in which chemicals are used but also in some typically indoor (generic) spaces for the building hygiene assessment. The indoor air is affected by several factors that currently are analyzed punctually, without a whole scenario of all the variable performances. The authors have done a systematic review on the current state of the art and knowledge related to chemical pollution in healing spaces and the emerging strategies, supported by scientific literature, for healthy inpatient rooms and their indoor air.Methodology. The systematic review has been done through the analysis of papers from SCOPUS, DOAJ, and PubMed databases. The survey sample considered 483 scientific articles, between 1989 and 2017, and starting the systematic reading and analysis of the abstracts, only 187 scientific papers were selected, and only 96 were accessible.Discussion. Since scientific literature reports very different outputs and results, the resulting work from the survey is divided into specific fields of interest related to construction and finishing materials, installations, components, ventilation systems, processes, etc. Starting from the systematic reading, the paper classifies the factors of indoor air in four macroareas: outdoor air and microclimatic factors (temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, air change, etc.); management activities (management and maintenance activities, ventilation systems, HVAC, cleaning and disinfectant activities, etc.); design factors (room dimensions, furniture, finishing materials, etc.); and human presence and medical activities (users’ presence, their health status, and medical activities carried out in inpatient rooms).Conclusion. The systematic review gives rise to a broad scenario on the existing knowledge regarding the indoor air pollution, design, and management strategies for healthy spaces and several emerging topics. Although the aim of the investigation is strictly related to chemical pollution, several considerations from the biological point of view have been listed. The systematic review, supported by the existing scientific literature, becomes a starting point for considering the importance of the topic and to stimulate the knowledge around this field of interest for improving studies, analysis, and simulations.

scholarly journals The Relevance of Indoor Air Quality in Hospital Settings: From an Exclusively Biological Issue to a Global Approach in the Italian Context

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 361
Author(s):  
Gaetano Settimo ◽  
Marco Gola ◽  
Stefano Capolongo
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Global Approach ◽  
Health It ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Italian Context ◽  
Quality In Healthcare

In the context of the architectures for health, it is an utmost priority to operate a regular and continuous updating of quality, efficacy, and efficiency’s processes. In fact, health promotion and prevention take place through a proper management and design of healing spaces, in particular with regard to the most sensitive users. In recent decades, there has been increasing attention to indoor air quality in healthcare facilities. Nowadays, this issue must involve the implementation of a series of appropriate interventions, with a global approach of prevention and reduction of risk factors on users’ health, which allows, in addition to a correct management of hospital settings, the realization of concrete actions. To date, in Italy, despite the indoor air being taken in consideration in numerous activities and studies aimed at understanding both building hygiene and environmental aspects, the greatest difficulty is strongly related to the absence of an integrated national policy. The scope of the paper is to underline the relevance of indoor air quality in hospital settings, highlighting the need of procedures, protocols, and tools for strengthening and improving interventions for health prevention, protection, and promotion of users.

scholarly journals Microbial Air Quality in Healthcare Facilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6226
Author(s):  
Lucia Bonadonna ◽  
Rossella Briancesco ◽  
Anna Maria Coccia ◽  
Pierluigi Meloni ◽  
Giuseppina La Rosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Critical Conditions ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
Hospital Environments ◽  
Quality In Healthcare

There is increasing evidence that indoor air quality and contaminated surfaces provide an important potential source for transmission of pathogens in hospitals. Airborne hospital microorganisms are apparently harmless to healthy people. Nevertheless, healthcare settings are characterized by different environmental critical conditions and high infective risk, mainly due to the compromised immunologic conditions of the patients that make them more vulnerable to infections. Thus, spread, survival and persistence of microbial communities are important factors in hospital environments affecting health of inpatients as well as of medical and nursing staff. In this paper, airborne and aerosolized microorganisms and their presence in hospital environments are taken into consideration, and the factors that collectively contribute to defining the infection risk in these facilities are illustrated.

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality in Healthcare Units—A Systematic Literature Review Focusing Recent Research

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 967
Author(s):  
Ana Fonseca ◽  
Isabel Abreu ◽  
Maria João Guerreiro ◽  
Nelson Barros
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Research Interest ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Quality In Healthcare

The adequate assessment and management of indoor air quality in healthcare facilities is of utmost importance for patient safety and occupational health purposes. This study aims to identify the recent trends of research on the topic through a systematic literature review following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology. A total of 171 articles published in the period 2015–2020 were selected and analyzed. Results show that there is a worldwide growing research interest in this subject, dispersed in a wide variety of scientific journals. A textometric analysis using the IRaMuTeQ software revealed four clusters of topics in the sampled articles: physicochemical pollutants, design and management of infrastructures, environmental control measures, and microbiological contamination. The studies focus mainly on hospital facilities, but there is also research interest in primary care centers and dental clinics. The majority of the analyzed articles (85%) report experimental data, with the most frequently measured parameters being related to environmental quality (temperature and relative humidity), microbiological load, CO2 and particulate matter. Non-compliance with the WHO guidelines for indoor air quality is frequently reported. This study provides an overview of the recent literature on this topic, identifying promising lines of research to improve indoor air quality in healthcare facilities.

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality in Healthcare and Care Facilities: Chemical Pollutants and Microbiological Contaminants

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1337
Author(s):  
Alexandre Baudet ◽  
Estelle Baurès ◽  
Hélène Guegan ◽  
Olivier Blanchard ◽  
Monique Guillaso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Facilities

The indoor air quality of healthcare and care facilities is poorly studied. The aim of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively describe the chemical pollution and the microbiological contaminations of the indoor environment of these facilities. Methods: A wide range of chemical compounds (39 volatile and 13 semi-volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, fine particulate matter) and microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) were studied. Sampling campaigns were conducted in two French cities in summer 2018 and winter 2019 in six private healthcare facilities (general practitioner’s offices, dental offices, pharmacies) and four care facilities (nursing homes). Results: The highest median concentrations of chemical compounds (μg/m3) were measured for alcohols (ethanol: 378.9 and isopropanol: 23.6), ketones (acetone: 18.8), aldehydes (formaldehyde: 11.4 and acetaldehyde: 6.5) and terpenes (limonene: 4.3). The median concentration of PM2.5 was 9.0 µg/m3. The main bacteria of these indoor environments were Staphylococcus, Micrococcus and Bacillus genera, with median bacterial concentrations in the indoor air of 14 cfu/m3. The two major fungal genera were Cladosporium and Penicillium, with median fungal concentrations of 7 cfu/m3. Conclusions: Indoor air in healthcare and care facilities contains a complex mixture of many pollutants found in higher concentrations compared to the indoor air in French hospitals in a previous study.

Asthma-related respiratory symptoms associated with indoor air quality in healthcare facilities

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul K. Henneberger ◽  
Steven Rollins ◽  
Michael Humann ◽  
Xioaming Liang ◽  
Feng-Chiao Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Quality In Healthcare

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality and Sustainability Management—Case Study in Three Portuguese Healthcare Units

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Fonseca ◽  
Isabel Abreu ◽  
Maria Guerreiro ◽  
Cristina Abreu ◽  
Ricardo Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
June July ◽  
Management Case Study

Adequate management of indoor air quality (IAQ) in healthcare units has relevant impacts on sustainability performance due to its effects on patient safety, occupational health and safety, and energy consumptions. This study sought to identify improvement opportunities on IAQ management by collecting and analyzing experimental data of selected parameters in three healthcare units in Portugal: Two general hospitals and one primary healthcare center. Indoor air temperature, relative humidity, CO2, bacteria, and fungi concentrations were measured in summer and winter campaigns in June/July 2017 and in January/March 2018. Results show that the exclusive use of natural ventilation is not adequate when the affluence of users is high, but the analyzed parameters revealed acceptable results under low occupation intensity conditions. Results also show that keeping low indoor air relative humidity has a significant impact in reducing fungi concentration and that there is a significant correlation at the 0.05 level between indoor air CO2 concentration and bacterial loads. Therefore, as opportunities to improve sustainability, IAQ management in healthcare facilities should consider natural ventilation as a complement to mechanical ventilation systems and should focus on adequate control of indoor air relative humidity and CO2 concentration to reduce the risk of airborne infections.

Big Data Analysis and Compression for Indoor Air Quality

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khushboo Sansanwal ◽  
Gulshan Shrivastava ◽  
Rohit Anand ◽  
Kavita Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Big Data Analysis
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