Healthcare Infections & IAQ

Topic: Healthcare Associated Infections and Hospital Indoor Air Quality

Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Taylor (ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer)

Description: As new research clarifies how essential the built environment is to patient healing and employee health and productivity Dr. Taylor will communicate clear and up to date research on how indoor air management relates to patient healing, length of stay and hospital profits. Given the exorbitant cost of healthcare, the frightening increase in antibiotic resistance, and the epidemic of patient harm from new infections, these insights offer exciting new tools that cannot be ignored. In addition, this study shows that the current focus on hand hygiene and surface disinfection to decrease transmission of infections will never be adequate without considering the added dimension of indoor management. For those still unconvinced about the value, the business case for these interventions will be presented. Best of all, these findings apply to all building types, not just hospitals.