Clean air in hospitals and clinics helps protect patients and staff

Improving air quality in hospitals, clinics, and other health-care settings is a vital constituent of modern airborne hygiene procedures. It's also important for occupational health and safety requirements in medical institutions. Air cleaning provides a healthier and more pleasant environment for patients, staff, and visitors. It also makes economic sense due to its relevance as a preventative infection control measure.

Air filtration requirements vary by department

The air quality requirements in health-care settings vary from department to department and often even from room to room. Some areas will require high-efficiency filtration of airborne microorganisms to protect patients, staff and visitors (e.g. in operation suites, Intensive Care Units (ICU) and Tuberculosis (TB) isolation rooms), whereas other areas require the filtration of gaseous contaminants, chemicals and odors to provide a safer and more pleasant working environment (e.g., in laboratories, autopsy rooms, dental surgery rooms, pharmacies).

Controlling airborne microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungal spores is exceptionally important in medical settings because a number of diseases and infections can be transmitted by airborne pathogens.

Infections are a concern

Of particular concern are nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections. They can have serious consequences in terms of increased patient mortality, morbidity, length of hospital stay and overall costs. Immunocompromised patients (such as organ and bone-marrow transplant recipients, oncology and hematology patients) are especially at risk as their immune systems are more vulnerable to infectious pathogens such as aspergillus.

IQAir stand-alone air cleaners have been shown to cut hospital aspergillosis infections by more than 50%. IQAir’s HyperHEPA filtration was used by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority to help protect staff and patients during the SARS-CoV-1 epidemic in 2003 and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. IQAir's Cleanroom H13 air cleaner has been shown to reduce Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) contamination.