Indoor Air Quality in Hospital: a Case Study for a Community Hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess indoor air quality in 5 departments of a 120-bed community hospital building in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. It was performed by measuring biological air pollutants and thermal comfort. A total of 78 samples were collected for detecting airborne bacteria and fungi. It was found that the total bacteria and fungi counts ranged between 3-411 CFU/m3 and 0-289 CFU/m3, respectively. All measurements did not exceed the recommended values in the (draft) notification of the Department of Health of Thailand and the Singapore’s guideline which specified the level of not exceeding 500 CFU/m3. The average of the total bacteria and fungi counts was highest in outpatient department (239 CFU/m3 and 111 CFU/m3, respectively), followed by labour room, emergency department, male medicine department and department of dentistry, respectively. These results were consistent with the number of people (patients, relatives and hospital staff) in the departments during the measurement. The measurement of thermal comfort which included temperature, relative humidity and the movement of air revealed the range between 21.9-30.6 oC, 63.2-80.7% and 0.02-0.51 m/s, respectively. Comparing to the (draft) notification of the Department of Health, 70.5%, 93.6% and 56.4% of the measurement outcomes, respectively, were not in line with the national recommended levels. These conditions had resulted in uncomfortable feeling among the people in the buildings due to unsuitable design of air ventilation and air conditioning system. Thus, the system should be improved, especially in the male medicine department.