Ward ventilation and microclimate
Insufficient ventilation leads to stagnant air, specific odors, and a sharp increase in the risk of HAIs. In addition, fresh air is a vital natural health-improving factor, comparable in importance to drug therapy.
During the winter and transitional seasons, the baseline comfortable temperature in a ward is considered to be 20–22 °C. However, temperature standards strictly depend on the department's profile:
- 15 °C: wards for patients with thyrotoxicosis.
- 20 °C: adult wards, mother-and-child rooms in pediatric hospitals.
- 22 °C: pediatric wards, burn units, postoperative wards, intensive care units (ICUs), resuscitation wards, delivery rooms, isolation boxes, dressing and treatment rooms.
- 23 °C: operating rooms (air conditioning is mandatory).
- 24 °C: wards for patients with hypothyroidism.
- 25 °C: wards for premature, infant, and traumatized children, anethesia rooms, as well as burn wards with 1–2 beds.
- 26 °C: somatic and surgical wards (with air conditioning).
Special air supply schemes are provided for operating zones to effectively remove contaminants. The airflow can be supplied via angled grilles, ceiling panels, radial diffusers, or annular hoses. However, only supply through a mesh air diffuser provides a strictly unidirectional vertical flow.
Natural and artificial lighting
Natural lighting (insolation) is extremely important due to its bactericidal, thermal, and general biological effects. To maximize daylight, hospital beds are placed parallel to the wall with windows. The optimal window orientation depends on the region:
- In southern latitudes, south and north are preferred.
- In middle latitudes — south, southeast, and east.
- In northern latitudes — south, southeast, and southwest.
Artificial lighting is divided into general (standard — 100 lx) and night duty lighting. For night light, a fixture in a niche above the door is used, located at a height of 2.2 meters from the floor.
Layout and interior finishing
To prevent airborne infections, beds are placed at a distance of at least 0.9–1.0 m from each other and no closer than 0.8–1.0 m from exterior walls. Furniture must have perfectly smooth surfaces resistant to disinfectants and moisture.
Finishing requirements depend on the operating mode of the room:
- Dry mode (regular wards). Walls are painted with silicate or oil paints, and ceilings are whitewashed. Floors must have good thermal insulation (ideally linoleum; parquet or painted wood is permitted).
- Wet mode (treatment rooms, operating rooms, bathrooms). Require regular wet disinfection. Walls are tiled with glazed tiles up to the ceiling. Floors are made waterproof and antistatic.
General rule for floors: the covering must be smooth, tightly fitted to the base, and free of gaps or cracks.
Hygiene of the surgical unit
Operating blocks are located in isolation: in separate buildings, annexes, or non-pass-through sections. Operating room windows must not face south, southeast, or southwest.
The block is strictly zoned into three parts:
- Sterile zone.
- Strict-regime zone.
- «Dirty» utility rooms zone.
A strict rule of vertical placement applies: septic (suppurative) operating rooms are always located above aseptic (clean) ones.
Personnel enter the operating block only through separate scrub stations (sanitary checkpoints). Each checkpoint consists of three rooms:
- Entrance/Exit: here personnel remove everyday work clothes, take a shower, and wash their hands.
- Clean zone: putting on a clean surgical suit, shoe covers, and special footwear before entering the operating room.
- Dirty zone: used after surgery to drop dirty laundry into containers, after which the employee returns to the first room.
Briefly: answers to topical questions
What specific rooms are included in the strict-regime zone of the operating block?
The strict-regime zone of the operating block includes:
- personnel scrub station, including a changing room, shower facilities, and cabins for putting on sterile clothing;
- wash-up room;
- anesthesia room;
- rooms for storing surgical instruments, devices, anesthetic equipment, and medications;
- blood transfusion room;
- on-call team rooms;
- head operating nurse's office;
- bathroom for operating block personnel.
What microclimate indicators, besides temperature, are standardized for hospital wards?
In addition to temperature, relative humidity and air velocity are standardized.
The rule of the three rooms of the sanitary checkpoint: «Undressed and washed» ➔ «Dressed in sterile clothes» ➔ «Dropped dirty clothes».
Class and exam questions
Why are septic operating rooms located above aseptic ones?
This rule of vertical zoning is necessary to prevent the spread of infections and contaminated air from top to bottom into clean (aseptic) rooms.
Why is a light above the door needed in a ward?
It is located at a height of 2.2 meters and serves for night duty lighting so as not to disturb patients with the main light, while ensuring visibility for the staff.
What should be the distance between beds in a ward?
To limit the transmission of airborne infections, the distance between beds must be strictly at least 0.9–1.0 meters.
Can the walls of a treatment room be painted with water-emulsion paint?
No, treatment rooms belong to rooms with a wet operating mode. Their walls must be tiled with glazed tiles or other moisture-resistant materials to their full height.
What else to study on this topic
- Detailed air supply schemes for the operating zone (5 options)
- Dimensions and standard equipment of medical furniture
- The role of corridors in department ventilation and logistics
- Organization of airlocks for patient admission to the operating block
Master the entire topic in the "Hygiene" course
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- Complete study guide on "Hygiene of Specialized Hospital Departments" and 530 more pages on the subject
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Other topics in the section "Chapter 8. Hygiene of Healthcare Facilities"
Prepared by WhiteCoat Pro faculty in accordance with the medical school curriculum. For educational purposes only.