Environmental quality and healing environments: A study of flooring materials in a healthcare telemetry unit.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of flooring finish materials on the environmental quality of patient rooms and explore the relationship of environmental quality and human response. Specifically, this research focused on the flooring finish materials in telemetry unit patient rooms at a regional health center.An interdisciplinary multiple methodology was used to build a protocol for evaluating interior finish materials. The objectives are: (a) to measure physical criteria of the flooring finish materials for the development of an Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) index and (b) examine the IEQ index as it relates to patient and staff perceptions, preferences, comfort, and biological responses to their environment.The results found that healthcare staff preferred VCT over carpet for the flooring choice in patient rooms citing ease of maintenance as their reason. Patients preferred carpet in their patient rooms citing comfort, slip-resistance, and less noise as the reasons for their choice.Healthcare staff perceived patient rooms with VCT to be more clean and attractive, have better odor, ventilation, air movement, and fresher air. Staff perceived rooms with carpet to be more comfortable and have less noise and glare, fewer temperature shifts, and better temperatures. Patients perceived patient rooms with VCT to be more clean, have better ventilation and fresher air, but rooms with carpet to have better temperatures.The results of the indoor environmental conditions indicated that VCT had a higher level of glare and a higher level of bacteria in the air samples. No significant differences were found in the levels of noise, temperature, carbon dioxide, and total volatile organic compounds.The study determined whether the indoor environmental conditions of the patient rooms were consistent with patient and staff preferences, physical comfort, biological response, and satisfaction. The specification of appropriate flooring materials in patient room environments depends on the composition of the material, its impact on the environmental conditions of the room, and the comfort and satisfaction of the patients.Additional research should focus on the materiality of flooring products, the effect of carpet on the indoor relative humidity, and exposure to volatile organic compounds and microorganisms.