Abstract
The microclimate is a particularly important environmental aspect in operating rooms (ORs), where more than in other hospital environments, it is extremely important, and at the same time extremely difficult, to reconcile the needs of different types of occupants (patients and operators). Moreover, unsuitable microclimatic conditions may affect the onset of infection. The present study aimed to analyze the periodic monitoring of the microclimatic conditions carried out in ORs over 10 years, to verify the adequacy of the thermal comfort conditions for all occupants. The evaluation of thermal comfort was carried out using the Fanger indices and the standards required by current legislation and specific guidelines. Non-compliant values for at least one parameter were found in 98.8% of the examinations performed in the ORs. A condition of thermal discomfort was calculated for 3.6% of healthcare professionals and 98.3% of patients. The monitoring of microclimatic conditions is particularly important in the OR as an indicator of inadequate functioning of the air conditioning system, which might affect the thermal comfort of all occupants and lead to microbial contamination of the room.
Highlights
The quality of living and working environments, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is influenced by the microclimate, i.e., a set of environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, airspeed and radiant heat, which condition the heat exchange between people and the environment and contribute to attaining thermal comfort [1,2]
In the hospital environment, the microclimatic characteristics are especially significant in operating rooms (ORs), where more so than in other hospital environments, it is extremely important, and at the same time extremely difficult, to reconcile the needs of different types of occupants, both relating to the patients’ homeothermia and various components for the operating team, whose performances can be significantly affected by any thermal discomfort, with possible negative consequences for the health of patients [8,9,10]
We found that a condition of thermal comfort, or at least, of thermal acceptability for the operators is almost always guaranteed (96.4%)
Summary
The quality of living and working environments, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is influenced by the microclimate, i.e., a set of environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, airspeed and radiant heat, which condition the heat exchange between people and the environment and contribute to attaining thermal comfort [1,2]. A condition of thermal discomfort can arise due to the influence of unfavorable microclimatic characteristics. In the hospital environment, the microclimatic characteristics are especially significant in operating rooms (ORs), where more so than in other hospital environments, it is extremely important, and at the same time extremely difficult, to reconcile the needs of different types of occupants, both relating to the patients’ homeothermia and various components for the operating team, whose performances can be significantly affected by any thermal discomfort, with possible negative consequences for the health of patients [8,9,10]
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