Patient Isolation Rooms

Q: In regards to negative pressure for patient isolation rooms, I understand that the negative pressure has to be verified before you can place a patient in the room but is there a testing frequency standard out there other than the room should be maintained as designed?

A: No, there is not a testing frequency published. But you need to prove to the surveyor that you are monitoring this pressure relationship.

Determine through a risk assessment how frequently you need to check the air pressure relationship in each room. It may be daily, or weekly, or monthly, etc.

Consider getting one of the “ball-in-the-wall” devices that visually tells you if the air pressure relationship is positive or negative.

Consider having the room wired through the Building Automation System with a sensor to alarm if the air pressure relationship is out of range.