Most hospitals and medical facilities have strict cleanliness and maintenance requirements. Here’s why air quality should be included among those priorities.
When you’re running a business that takes care of sick people, how you maintain your facility is incredibly important. Air quality, paint colors, floor and surface cleaners, and traffic flow are just some of the building maintenance issues that can dramatically affect operations. With that in mind, consider why air quality matters in healthcare facilities.
Prevent Disease Spread
The most important reason to maintain the air quality in your building is to help prevent the spread of diseases between patients, staff, and visitors. Poor ventilation, improper purification, and high humidity can make it easy for infectious diseases to spread among people in your facility; therefore, it’s a good idea to know the signs of poor air quality.
Improve Patient Symptoms
Whenever patients are suffering from respiratory conditions, they need access to clean, fresh air to mitigate their symptoms. Poor air quality can actually make patient symptoms worse, which in turn makes them harder to treat and possibly even misleading for medical professionals. To make sure patients get an accurate diagnosis and recover quickly, keep your building’s air quality monitored at all times.
Some of the respiratory conditions that are most affected by poor air quality include:
- Asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Lung cancer
- Bronchitis
- Laryngitis
- Pneumonia
- Influenza
Protect Expensive Equipment
Another reason why air quality matters in healthcare facilities is because these facilities contain very expensive equipment. Many of these machines are extremely sensitive and are quite costly to replace. Humidity and dust particles can ruin medical equipment, or at least make them less accurate.
Even if you don’t suspect a humidity problem in your building, you can still have a moisture problem if there’s too much dust in the air. Dust actually absorbs moisture, which is then carried to whatever surface it lands on. This makes it much easier for bacteria to grow on your machines.
Prevent Mold
Hospitals have many sinks, toilets, showers, and other damp surfaces where mold loves to grow. With so many rooms, it can be difficult to stay on top of things like mold, which tends to grow in places most people don’t look. Mold itself can be dangerous for healthy people, and even more so when it comes in contact with the infirm.
When people with weakened immune systems encounter mold in their environment, they can develop a mold infection. Sometimes, these infections come from breathing in normal amounts of mold that wouldn’t affect a healthy person, but occasionally it can mean there is a mold problem in the hospital. Always monitor mold infections in patients and investigate if a pattern seems to emerge.
Take Air Quality Seriously
In order to protect your patients, staff, and visitors, you should invest in humidity and air quality control systems and schedule regular HVAC inspections. Doing so will also protect your investment in crucial equipment and sensitive instruments that you wouldn’t want to replace prematurely.
Read Also
- AI to Assist with Nursing: Balancing the Benefits with the Challenges
Technology can be transformative – consider how the mobile phone changed how we communicate with friends and family, or how videoconferencing has created a whole new realm of hybrid working opportunities. For nursing, a highly respected and sought-after profession, how will developments in new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) change how they… Read more: AI to Assist with Nursing: Balancing the Benefits with the Challenges - CPT Code Selection: Choosing the Right Code for the Service Performed
In the intricate world of medical billing and insurance claims, accurate CPT code selection is paramount. CPT codes act as a universal language, streamlining communication between healthcare providers, patients, and insurers. However, navigating the complexities of CPT code selection, which comes with its challenges and potential pitfalls, is crucial. 1. Understanding the Complexity of CPT… Read more: CPT Code Selection: Choosing the Right Code for the Service Performed - Online Learning for Health and Human Services: The Future Is Now
The Rise of Online Education in Health and Human Services You’ve probably thought about going back to school to advance your health and human services online. But finding the time and money for traditional in-person classes can be hard. Maybe you’ve considered online education but aren’t sure it’s right for you. We get it –… Read more: Online Learning for Health and Human Services: The Future Is Now - 3 Reasons Why a Nurse Should File a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Columbia
As a nurse, you’re dedicated to caring for others, often putting their well-being ahead of your own. However, when you sustain an injury or illness on the job, prioritize your health and rights. One of the most significant steps you can take after such an incident is to file a workers’ compensation claim. In Columbia,… Read more: 3 Reasons Why a Nurse Should File a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Columbia - Enhancing Safety Protocols in Science Laboratories
Imagine walking into a laboratory where the next big discovery in biotech or life sciences is just a test tube away. The air buzzes with potential, every surface gleams with promise and every researcher’s eyes sparkle with determination. While it’s easy to get swept up in this whirlwind of innovation, one must not overlook the… Read more: Enhancing Safety Protocols in Science Laboratories - A Guide to Safe and Sustainable Laboratory Maintenance in the Healthcare Industry
Within the intricate framework of healthcare, laboratories emerge as pivotal hubs for innovation, diagnostics and research. Often overlooked yet indispensable to health and well-being, managing these facilities entails navigating a complex array of safety protocols, sustainability initiatives and operational efficiencies simultaneously. Engaging the services of reputable facilities management providers such as a trusted facilities services… Read more: A Guide to Safe and Sustainable Laboratory Maintenance in the Healthcare Industry - What Causes the Healthcare Shortage in the US?
Accessible, quality healthcare is a necessity to ensure the prosperity, functioning, and smooth running of any given community. So, why does the US, a country with one of the largest economies and strongest pulls for foreign medical professionals in the world, have a healthcare shortage crisis? Understanding the Crisis The United States experiences a persistent… Read more: What Causes the Healthcare Shortage in the US? - Dental Supplies to Keep Your Dental Practice Running Smoothly
Dental practices offer a calm and safe environment where smiles are crafted and oral health is nurtured. But what helps qualified dental practitioners deliver unparalleled patient care? The answer is dental supplies. If you’re looking to set up your own dental practice, these dental supplies will deliver cutting-edge technology, ensuring that each patient’s journey is… Read more: Dental Supplies to Keep Your Dental Practice Running Smoothly
