TY - GEN
T1 - Hospital environment
T2 - International Conference on Healthcare Ergonomics and Patient Safety, HEPS 2019
AU - Viegas, Carla
AU - Almeida, Beatriz
AU - Paciência, Inês
AU - Rufo, João Cavaleiro
AU - Pereira, Cristiana
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - Exposure to bioburden (comprising bacteria and fungi) has become one of the critical issues for occupational and public health approaches in hospital environment. This study aims to assess the fungal burden in one Central Hospital in Oporto, Portugal, applying the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Portuguese legislation as guidance, verifying both the limit values and the conformity established for general indoor environments. Air samples were collected using a microbiological air sampler in several hospital areas (Day hospital, Internment ward, Operating Room, and Outpatient area). Among the 15 rooms analyzed, 20% (3 out of 15) presented I/O > 1 and 4 out of 15 presented Aspergillus section Fumigati, in a concentration above 12 UFC·m−3. Besides Aspergillus section Fumigati, the sections Nigri, Aspergilli, Usti and Versicolores were also observed. Qualitative assessment, besides the quantitative, should always be performed to guarantee an accurate assessment, even though the quantitative cut-off complies with the legal requirement. A multi-approach on sampling methods and in assays (culture based and molecular methods) will enrich data findings, enabling exposure assessors to perform IAQ assessments.
AB - Exposure to bioburden (comprising bacteria and fungi) has become one of the critical issues for occupational and public health approaches in hospital environment. This study aims to assess the fungal burden in one Central Hospital in Oporto, Portugal, applying the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Portuguese legislation as guidance, verifying both the limit values and the conformity established for general indoor environments. Air samples were collected using a microbiological air sampler in several hospital areas (Day hospital, Internment ward, Operating Room, and Outpatient area). Among the 15 rooms analyzed, 20% (3 out of 15) presented I/O > 1 and 4 out of 15 presented Aspergillus section Fumigati, in a concentration above 12 UFC·m−3. Besides Aspergillus section Fumigati, the sections Nigri, Aspergilli, Usti and Versicolores were also observed. Qualitative assessment, besides the quantitative, should always be performed to guarantee an accurate assessment, even though the quantitative cut-off complies with the legal requirement. A multi-approach on sampling methods and in assays (culture based and molecular methods) will enrich data findings, enabling exposure assessors to perform IAQ assessments.
KW - Airborne fungi
KW - Hospital environment
KW - Indoor air quality
KW - Qualitative assessment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068602506&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-030-24067-7_27
DO - 10.1007/978-3-030-24067-7_27
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85068602506
SN - 9783030240660
T3 - Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
SP - 230
EP - 236
BT - Health and social care systems of the future
A2 - Cotrim, Teresa Patrone
A2 - Serranheira, Florentino
A2 - Sousa, Paulo
A2 - Hignett, Sue
A2 - Albolino, Sara
A2 - Tartaglia, Riccardo
PB - Springer Verlag
Y2 - 3 July 2019 through 5 July 2019
ER -
