Comprehensive and Live Air Purification as a Key Environmental, Clinical, and Patient Safety Factor: A Prospective Evaluation

Kathryn Colonna Worrilow, Stanislaw P. Stawicki, Chad Brisendine, Lee Levicoff, Frank Ford, Beverly Snyder and Sherrine Eid

A chapter in Vignettes in Patient Safety - Volume 4 from IntechOpen

Abstract: Healthcare organizations strive to provide optimal patient experience by improving care quality and enhancing clinical outcomes, while containing associated costs. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that more than 1.7 million people suffer from an infectious complication annually, representing between 5 and 10% of all hospital admissions and costs ranging between $35B and $88B. Most infectious surface fomites originate from air. Consequently, reducing airborne pathogens should be associated with reduced surface fomites. This study represents the first comprehensive evaluation of infectious and aerosolized pathogens and their speciation, location and concentration within a typical hospital setting. The study provides data regarding the relationship between airborne pathogens and air filtration methodologies in the context of the molecular and microbial epidemiology of illness and infections in the clinical setting. The results demonstrated that using a transformational air purification system provided comprehensive remediation of airborne pathogens and significantly reduced surface-oriented infectious fomites. Overall reduction of airborne and surface bacterial and fungal pathogens responsible for illness and infections will result in a reduction of associated illnesses and HAI rates and improved patient care metrics including stay duration and readmission rates. Improvements in these outcome metrics should correlate to risk mitigation and cost avoidance.

Keywords: airborne pathogens; hospital-acquired infections; HAI; patient care; bacterial pathogens; fungal pathogens; air filtration; air purification; hospital; molecular epidemiology; microbial epidemiology; illness; infection; length of stay; readmission rates; clinical outcomes; HEPA; biological particulates; VOC; volatile organic compounds; ambient air quality; viable particulates; nonviable particulates (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ito:pchaps:189061

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.84530

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