ATLANTA, Georgia, United States, 8 April 2020: ASHRAE will offer the archived course on the role of HVAC systems in infection control in hospitals, with a live Q&A session to cater to Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regions. Making the announcement through a Press release, ASHRAE said the course, “Designing and Operating High-Performing Healthcare HVAC Systems”, will take place again on April 14.

The Q&A instructor, Frank Mills, C.Eng, Member ASHRAE, will address questions and concerns relevant to the course. “Infection control is a primary purpose of HVAC systems in hospitals,” said course instructor, Dan Koenigshofer P.E., MS Public Health, HFDP, SASHE.

According to the release, the three-hour course will focus on the design and operation of HVAC systems in healthcare facilities. The course will detail the relationship of infection control and HVAC design, including application of ASHRAE’s HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics (Second Edition), and ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017 Ventilation of Health Care Facilities, ASHRAE said. Key elements to be covered in the course include: Infection control, comfort, reliability, safety, maintenance, energy and flexibility, ASHRAE added.

According to the release, course topics include:

• Discussion of costs of Hospital-Associated Infections (HAI)
• Controversial issues regarding HVAC and infection control, such as air change rates and levels of filtration
• Engineering methods to maintain proper temperature and humidity
• How/why to pressurise to move air from clean to less clean areas
• The equation for the probability of getting an infection
• Reasons why the air velocity is limited – deposition and thermal plume
• The design of airborne infectious isolation rooms, protective isolation rooms, operating rooms, emergency departments, sterile processing departments and infection control risk assessments.

According to the release, the course will highlight the design, operation, and methods of filtration, UV lighting, monitoring of pressure, temperature and humidity in HVAC systems for healthcare facilities, and movement and concentration of aerosols. Participants, ASHRAE said, can access this instructor-led course from anywhere with an Internet connection and earn continuing education units/professional development hours for each course completed.