Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in healthcare: a scoping review

Abstract

Guidelines for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems have been developed for different settings. However, there is a lack of up-to-date evidence providing concrete recommendations for the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems of an isolation room, which is essential to appropriately guide infection control policies. This scoping review aimed to highlight the guidelines for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in isolation rooms to inform relevant stakeholders and policymakers. A systematic search was performed based on Joanna Briggs Methodology using five databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, Joanna Briggs Institute, Medline, and Web of Science) and websites. Eight articles published by government departments were included in this review. Most studies recommended controlled airflow without recirculation, 12 air change per hour, high-efficiency particulate air filtrate to exhaust contaminated air from the airborne isolation room, ≤humidity 60%, and a temperatures in the range of 18-30 °C. This review highlights heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems guideline consistency across countries. This provides further evidence that there is a need for interdisciplinary collaborative research to quantify the optimum range for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system parameters, considering door types, anterooms, and bed management, to effectively reduce the transmission of infection in isolation rooms.