Designing Hospital for better Infection Control: an Experience

The physical design of hospital is an essential component of a hospital's infection control strategy, incorporating infection control issues to minimise the risk of infection transmission. Hospital design therefore, needs to consider the separation of dirty and clean areas, adequate ventilation, lighting and storage facilities and design of patient accommodation areas, including adequate number of wash hand basins and single bed facilities. A 250 bed general hospital was planned keeping in view structural and design elements necessary for success of a good infection control programme. Various National and International Standards like BSI recommendations, JCAHO, IC Standards, DHSS, ASHRAE, AIA and OSHA were studied and compared with our planning parameters. Planning of ward unit, ICU, Operation theatre and Isolation wards were especially reviewed in the light of recent knowledge available in the field of hospital acquired infection and modifications were carried out. Need for effective identification of potential infections, risks in the design of a hospital were stressed. Engineering controls required to reduce the concentration of infectious droplet nuclei in the air and prevention of transmission of disease were highlighted.