Planning and Designing an Isolation Facility in Hospitals: Need of the Hour

Emerging infectious diseases represent an ongoing threat to the health and livelihoods of people globally. Over the past decade, numerous infectious diseases have shown up in the United States including SARS in 2003, H1N1 or 'swine flu’ in 2009, and now, the Ebola virus. Isolation of a patient is essentially an escalation of the core healthcare process. Best practice demands that isolation rooms be provided where care for the underlying medical condition is optimal. As uncontroversial as infection control may seem, the infrastructure required (such as washbasins and isolation rooms) is often lacking in hospitals. And if isolation rooms are available, proper maintenance of pressure gradients is an issue. In normal circumstances no purpose is served by routine cleaning of ventilation ducts. During replacement, dust is shed from old filters. All extract grilles and some types of supply grilles accumulate dust. These represent an infection risk. The dust reflects the air-borne flora at the time of deposition with organism death taking place at a rate determined by microbial, environmental and other factors. It is vital that regular monitoring and maintenance of the ventilation system is in place. The physical design of a hospital is an essential component of its infection control measures to minimize the risk of transmission of any infectious disease. Today, with a more progressive outlook, it is the fundamental requirement to adopt a holistic view of the design and management of hospitals. This document will not only help in making strategy for planning or renovating an isolation room and also helps in cleaning or maintenance of ventilation. How to cite this article Shweta K, Gupta SK, Chandrashekhar R, Kant S. Planning and Designing an Isolation Facility in Hospitals: Need of the Hour. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2015;3(1):48-56.