Development of Established Facility RH Range

You should consider designating a Perioperative Decision Team (PD Team) to periodically review the specifics of their perioperative case types, mechanical system capabilities, existing codes and standards, infection control statistics, and recent research and trends in indoor RH levels

do you have a Perioperative Decision Team or policy

A PD Team typically includes the facility’s management, operations management, and infection control personnel. As a suggested minimum, the PD Team should include a facility engineer, an infection control professional, and a perioperative professional. Once the PD Team is assembled, consideration should be given to the conditions and protocols when the space is occupied and when the space is unoccupied. This information is then used to determine both an upper and a lower RH limit for the space.

are you controlling your rh?

These upper and lower RH limits—the established facility RH range—should be documented, and the actual RH values should be monitored and recorded. A facility may have a clinical reason to occasionally adjust the temperature in the space, resulting in the RH being outside of the established facility RH range; this is not considered a humidity control event.

Stay tuned for additional posts on why you should consider developing and implementing a plan to manage the relative humidity for your office using published guidance.