Study Examines Clinic Air Ventilation

Ventilation safety standards are critical in keeping a facility’s air clean and germ-free. A new study published in the American Journal of Infection Control found that some outpatient clinics did not fully meet health care ventilation standards, Infection Control Today reports.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin wanted to determine how well outpatient clinics in the state followed ventilation standards set by three organizations: the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE). Additionally, they also wanted to verify that “lower ventilation rates and building characteristics increase the risk of disease transmission.”

The researchers used a smoke tube to measure the ventilation rates of 105 rooms at 22 outpatient clinics geared toward different specialties. They puffed out smoke at the height of a health care worker standing in the center of the room and counted how many seconds it took for the smoke to disappear.

Overall results found that outpatient clinics did not meet all national health care ventilation standards listed in the ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170 for Ventilation in Health Care Facilities. Researchers found 10% of clinic rooms assessed did not meet the minimum requirement of general exam rooms, 39% did not meet the requirement for treatment rooms, 83% did not meet the requirement for aerosol-generating procedures, and 88% did not meet the requirement for procedure rooms or minor surgical procedures.

Scientists also observed air changes per hour (ACH) that were lower than standard in all the clinics, especially in older facilities. Low ACH can lead to an increased risk of disease transmission.

The researchers advised that ventilation standards should be factored into clinic design. They said loopholes allowing clinics to be classified as businesses should be abolished as businesses do not need to abide by Standard 170. “As health care-specific building codes would not normally pertain to business occupancy, it is unclear if the health care ventilation standards are integrated into outpatient clinic design or lease agreements in these types of buildings,” the study states.

The researchers concluded that their findings are “pertinent during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as working guidelines are established for the health care community.”