Reaching Compliance for Humidity Requirements in Hospitals

Ensuring optimal environmental conditions is crucial to hospital operations. Temperature and humidity requirements for hospitals are informed by numerous regulations — including hand hygiene and temperature monitoring — to keep their patients and staff safe. In addition to overseeing room temperatures, hospitals must maintain recommended hospital humidity levels throughout their facility. 

From operating rooms and maternity wards to waiting rooms and intensive care units, a hospital has numerous humidity-sensitive areas that must adhere to a hospital’s temperature and humidity policy.

 Here’s why hospital humidity requirements are so critical: 

• Prevent Infections - Dry air can make patients more susceptible to developing colds, the flu, and other viruses. On the other hand, humid air can contribute to the transmission of airborne microbes and increase the chance of mold and mildew growing on surfaces. Ensuring hospital humidity levels meet hospital humidity requirements helps prevent both of these scenarios. 
• Improve Machine Functionality - Hospital equipment and machines are sensitive to static, which increases when humidity levels drop too low. Static also causes dust to rise up in the air. Maintaining proper humidity levels in hospitals helps prevent the spread of dust and machine malfunction. 
• Increase Patient & Staff Comfort - Overly dry or humid air can make patients, staff, and visitors uncomfortable. In dry conditions, all parties may complain of dry eyes and skin, as well as sore throats. Maintaining proper humidity levels in hospitals can help to prevent these irritations.
• Protect Those Who Are Sensitive to Dry Air - Patients in maternity and obstetric wards, including babies with existing respiratory problems, are especially susceptible to complications caused in part by low hospital humidity levels.

The Joint Commission’s Temperature and Humidity Requirements for Hospitals

So, how should hospitals maintain compliance when it comes to humidity? 

The Joint Commission states they do not have a “prescriptive requirement for daily monitoring or logging of temperature and relative humidity of a particular room type unless required by a controlling authority.” 

However, new hospitals (designed after July 5, 2016) must comply with ASHRAE 170-2008, a standard that outlines hospital humidity and temperature requirements. Unless there are hazards to health and safety, existing hospitals must be maintained as originally designed. 

Additionally, The Joint Commission states that critical rooms “like those where invasive procedures are performed or where sterile items are stored” must be in constant compliance when in use. They recommend hospitals implement a reliable strategy, such as an automated system, to ensure continuous compliance. The system should:

• Record daily readings
• Indicate devices and equipment in the space in real-time
• Have an alarm mechanism when humidity in hospitals is too high or too low

The Joint Commission adds, “Room temperature and humidity monitoring can be accomplished remotely by a building automation system, as long as there is a means to effectively identify an adverse condition.” 

Daily monitoring of temperature and humidity levels in hospitals can also be completed manually at the room site as long as there is a process to periodically check readings. While traditionally a manual process, manual monitoring of humidity in hospitals increases the risk of human error. In addition, manual checks are time-consuming and may distract staff from more vital tasks, which may negatively affect overall patient care. 

As such, an automated environmental monitoring system is a recommended way for hospitals and healthcare facilities to maintain compliance with a hospital’s temperature and humidity policy, increase facility efficiency, and provide peace of mind. 

How Cox Prosight Streamlines Environmental Monitoring in Hospitals

Adhering to a hospital’s temperature and humidity policy can help hospitals remain compliant with The Joint Commission standards, in addition to keeping patients and staff safe while reducing potential costly spoilage. 

Here are three ways Cox Prosight, a real-time location system (RTLS), can help your facility meet hospital temperature and humidity requirements. 

1. Automates Manual Tasks

Cox Prosight eliminates manual temperature and humidity checks, so staff can focus on vital tasks.

Prosight’s platform is designed to monitor and collect information automatically and 24/7. The platform tells staff which areas of the hospital are in-range, at risk of being out-of-range, or are out-of-range so they can take action quickly. Hospital staff can view details of compliance of the hospital temperature and humidity policy by room and device.

2. Streamlines Compliance Reporting

When it comes time to submit compliance reports to The Joint Commission, Cox Prosight makes it easy. Reports are automatically generated, and hospital staff can easily access reports for all areas of the hospital that are environmentally monitored. 

In addition, staff can use these reports to create and modify hospital temperature and humidity policies. For example, they can see if certain rooms or units are having trouble with compliance and make changes as needed. 

3. Instant Alerts When Humidity Drops or Rises

As The Joint Commission states above, facilities that use automated systems to ensure levels adhere to temperature and humidity requirements for hospitals must have a way to alert staff when something is wrong. 

Cox Prosight’s alerting system meets this need by sending real-time notifications when temperature or humidity problems arise so staff can troubleshoot them quickly. Staff can even escalate alerts to ensure there is a timely response.

Meet Hospital Humidity Requirements with Cox Prosight

Creating a safe environment is imperative for any hospital and healthcare facility. At Cox Prosight, we understand that meeting hospital temperature and humidity requirements is crucial to safe and smooth operations. That’s why we developed a reliable and affordable platform that hospitals can leverage to automatically monitor their rooms, devices, and staff.

Cox Prosight’s cutting-edge technology is designed to help hospitals and healthcare facilities boost operational efficiency, cut costs, and reduce waste from many angles. To learn more about how Cox Prosight can help solve compliance and environmental monitoring challenges that your hospital is facing, contact our team today.