Assessment of Thermal Comfort in Hospital Rooms and Health Status of Patients

Abstract

The paper carefully assessed the thermal comfort in hospital rooms and health status of patients. Thermal comfort in hospital environments is mandatory, as the nature of patients' sickness directly correlates with their thermal sensation, metabolic rate, and regulatory response. A good environment contributes a lot toward patient recovery and wellbeing. Hospital buildings are required to secure a variety of indoor environments according to the diverse requirements of patients and staff. Among these requirements, thermal comfort is an important design criterion for indoor environmental quality that affects patients' healing processes and the wellbeing of medical staff. The patients’ thermal comfort is given priority due to their medical conditions and impaired immune systems. A high indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can improve the recovery process and create a pleasant working environment for the health personnel. While a poor IEQ causes nosocomial diseases that are harmful to the patients as well as the hospital staff. The paper reviewed the concept of thermal comfort, health status of patient, hospital rooms, and the effect of thermal comfort on patient’s health. It was on this basis that the study concluded that; ventilation systems play a key role in maintaining acceptable, thermally-comfortable conditions for patients and medical staff. It was also concluded that thermal comfort can foster the healing process of patients in hospitals and that it is highly case-dependent and varies substantially based on the health condition of the patient as well as the type and level of staff activities to bail the unfortunate condition. One of the recommendations made was that in order to foster the healing process of patients in hospitals there is dire need to promote thermal comfort in the hospital building at all cost