Hygienic assessment of the complex of physical and chemical factors affecting a person in rooms of the different purpose in in-patients medical institutions

Introduction. The paper presents the hygienic assessment of the complex physical and chemical factors affecting patients and staff in the different premises of institutional medical organizations.

Material and methods. The comprehensive hygienic assessment of the internal environment of medical institutions was based on three in-patient medical institutions (IMI). The research objects were medical wards, operating rooms, treatment rooms, dressing rooms, physiotherapy rooms, laboratory and diagnostic rooms, utility rooms. The study included measurements of the following parameters: microclimate, noise, electromagnetic fields level in different frequency ranges, ion regime, assessment of natural light, artificial light, insolation, gamma radiation level, measurements of concentrations of carbon dioxide, oxygen, ozone, radon, mercury vapor, and volatile organic compounds.

Results. It is shown that in the hospital environment, a person is affected by complex physical factors. Microclimatic parameters are one of the most significant factors in the hospital environment that require constant monitoring. The control of the given factor is exceptionally substantial in IMI buildings that are not equipped with in-patients an air conditioning system. The highest noise levels were found in physiotherapy rooms and diagnostic rooms. The primary source of noise in medical rooms is working equipment, inwards – conversational speech. Both patients and medical workers were established to receive the main electromagnetic load in diagnostic rooms, laboratory rooms, and physiotherapy rooms. The assessment of the light environment showed that each of the examined rooms was provided with a sufficient level of natural light, and the duration of insolation in the treatment rooms corresponded to hygienic requirements. The highest levels of artificial light were in rooms with led lights. In the air of the examined rooms, light ions of both polarities were either absent, or their content was below the minimum required concentration. Higher concentrations of organic acids and chlorine-containing compounds were found in the surveyed premises of IMO compared to the air in other public buildings. The highest concentration of chemical compounds in the air was observed in wards and diagnostic rooms.

Conclusion. The need for regular monitoring of physical and chemical factors affecting patients and staff in IMI is justified. A list of physical factors for carrying out risk-oriented control in hospital premises, taking into account their functional purpose, is required.