The Bioscientist (Sep 2021)
Assessment of the Indoor Microbial Air Quality of A Tertiary Healthcare Institution
Abstract
This study investigated the presence and concentrations of airborne bacteria and fungi in the indoor environment of a tertiary healthcare institution in South-Eastern Nigeria using the following sampling sites: Accident and emergency ward (A and E), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Main Operating Theatre (MT), Microbiology Laboratory (ML), Surgical Ward (SW) and Administrative Department (AD) which was the control. The indoor temperatures and relative humidity of the sites were also measured and assessed in relation to the level of indoor microbial air contamination. The results were then compared with indoor microbial air quality (IMAQ) standards for indoor hospital environments. Mean bacterial Total Viable Counts exceeded accepted limits in all the sampled sites both during the morning (A and E: 747CFUs, AD: 388CFUs, ICU: 388CFUs, MT: 546CFUs, ML: 905CFUs, and SW: 603CFUs) and afternoon periods (A and E: 618CFUs, AD: 661CFUs, ICU: 259CFUs, MT: 216CFUs, ML: 661CFUs, and SW: 503CFUs) while Mean fungal TVCs exceeded accepted limits in four of the six sampled locations both during the morning (A and E: 259CFUs, AD: 402CFUs, ML: 445CFUs, and SW: 216CFUs) and afternoon periods (A and E; 172CFUs, AD: 302CFUs, ML: 503CFUs and SW: 273CFUs). This may be as a result of overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, and high temperatures prevalent in those locations throughout the sampling period, the inadequacy of the cleaning agents in terms of their bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity, as well as surgical smoke emitted from surgical energy devices. Thus, the IMAQ levels of studied hospital were not satisfactory. It is therefore recommended that conscious and concerted efforts be made to minimize indoor microbial air contamination and ensure that good IMAQ is maintained within the Hospital environment.
