Evaluating Thermal Comfort in Ward Areas of the Public Hospital in the Tropical Climates

Abstract

Thermal comfort in hospitals is a crucial element to provide appropriate indoor air quality for health and well-being. However, the airconditioning system usually has deficiencies to meet target criteria for the relevant thermal environmental factors. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate thermal comfort in ward areas of the newly built public hospital in Thailand during the operation phase to examine how the building maintain comfort. The measurement equipment was installed for 24 hours in ward areas for collecting data and evaluating thermal comfort using the predicted mean vote (PMV) model. The results indicated that achieving thermal comfort could be found among inpatients and medical staff, with differential considerations on personal factors. As a few studies in hospitals in Thailand has been done, the results from this study can act as evidence to develop building performance assessments and operation strategies to optimally enhance health and well-being of the occupants in a public healthcare facility in Thailand and tropical regions.