[A study of the architectural factors and the infection rates of healthcare workers in isolation units for severe acute respiratory syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate measures to prevent the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in healthcare workers in isolation units.


METHODS
The architectural factors and the infection of healthcare workers in different wards in our hospital between 30 January 2003 and 30 March 2003 were analyzed.


RESULTS
Four kinds of isolation wards were evaluated, including the ward where the thirty-first bed lied in on the twelfth floor, the laminar flow ward in the intensive care unit (ICU) where the tenth bed lied in on the fifteenth floor, the ward where the twenty-seventh bed lied in on the thirteenth floor of Building A, and thirty wards on the fourteenth to eighteenth floors of Building B. The ratios (m2/m3) of the area of the ventilation windows to the volume of the room were 0, 0, 1:95 and 1:40, respectively. Numbers of SARS cases in the wards mentioned above were 1, 1, 1 and 96, respectively. The total lengths (hour) of hospitalization were 43, 168, 110 and 1,272, respectively. The infection rates of the healthcare workers in the areas mentioned above were 73%, 32%, 28% and 2%, respectively. The difference of the infection rates was of statistical significance.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to strict personal protective measures, isolation of SARS cases in wards with high ratio of the area of ventilation windows to the volume of the room and good ventilation may be the key to preventing the outbreak of SARS in healthcare workers in isolation units.
Jiang
Shan-ping
SP
Department of Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
Huang
Li-wen
LW
Wang
Jing-feng
JF
Wu
Wei
W
Yin
Song-mei
SM
Chen
Wei-xian
WX
Zhan
Jun
J
Yan
Li
L
Chen
Xi-long
XL
Li
Jian-jun
JJ
Ma
Li-ping
LP
Li
Jian-guo
JG
Huang
Zhi-tong
ZT
D000328:Adult; D001108:Architecture; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010356:Patient Isolation; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control