Maintenance Methods for Ventilation Equipment to Control Airborne-Infection in Healthcare and Welfare Facilities

Abstract

This study developed a checklist for aerosol infection control measures and conducted on-site inspections in 3,337 rooms across 126 healthcare and welfare facilities. Results indicated that 28% of the rooms exhibited mechanical ventilation issues, primarily due to insufficient cleaning (39%) and deactivated systems (24%). Intervention experiments were carried out in 36 rooms across 3 facilities with known ventilation deficiencies. While cleaning ventilation fans alone had a limited impact, removing debris from the insect-proof mesh on outdoor exhaust louvers significantly enhanced airflow (p<0.001). This intervention increased the measured-to-designed airflow by an average of 37 percentage points. These findings emphasize the critical role of monitoring the actual ventilation rates and regularly maintaining outdoor exhaust louvers to ensure effective indoor air quality management in public buildings.