Infectious Inpatient Hospital Ward Air Ventilation System Design. Learning From the Covid-19 Pandemic Case Study: Budi Kemuliaan Hospital, Batam Island, Indonesia

Abstract

Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic that hit Indonesia and all over the world, hospitals' requirements and standards have changed. The most critical requirement for inpatient rooms is the air ventilation, since COVID-19 and airborne virus spreads through droplets and airflow. This study examines the placement of the intake and exhaust air supply as well as the placement of patient beds in the safest inpatient rooms for patients, nurses, and doctors. This study compared the ventilation performance of several intake–exhaust layout scenarios in the inpatient room of Budi Kemuliaan Hospital, Batam Island. Airflow simulation was carried out quantitatively using the Ansys simulation tool. From the four existing scenarios, the scenario with AC as inlet and exhaust as outlet (full mechanical ventilation) is the best. The AC supplies a stable and adjustable air flow, as does the exhaust fan, which can stably draw dirty air. The benefits of this study are expected to be an input for better air ventilation requirements and architectural standards for inpatient rooms at hospitals for types of airborne diseases and infectious departments.