Abstract
Background: The healthcare setting is a high-transmission-risk environment for COVID-19. Attending clinicians and patients are at risk of infection if measures are not established to secure the microbial safety of the health facility. Air cleaning technologies may deliver a safer clinical environment by depleting airborne viral concentrations.
Aim: This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of air-cleaning methods in preventing COVID-19 transmission in health facilities and the effectiveness of air cleaning rated by microbial depletion.
Method: This study is a rapid systematic review.
Results: No study assessed COVID-19 transmission relative to the air cleaning methods. HEPA filtration produced a more rapid and thorough removal of aerosols from health facilities. HEPA filtration showed mixed performance in removing COVID-19 viral RNA from a routine care ward and an intensive care unit (ICU). Meta-analyses could not be conducted due to dissimilarities in included studies.
Conclusion: The reviewed papers demonstrate that HEPA filtration hastens the depletion of aerosols from the indoor space in the health facility. Further translation of this finding to prevent COVID-19 transmission should assume the relevance of room occupancy density, virus-free outdoor air supply, recirculated filtered air, virus source strength, number of sources, and the use of facemasks by health workers and visitors to the health facility.
Aim: This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of air-cleaning methods in preventing COVID-19 transmission in health facilities and the effectiveness of air cleaning rated by microbial depletion.
Method: This study is a rapid systematic review.
Results: No study assessed COVID-19 transmission relative to the air cleaning methods. HEPA filtration produced a more rapid and thorough removal of aerosols from health facilities. HEPA filtration showed mixed performance in removing COVID-19 viral RNA from a routine care ward and an intensive care unit (ICU). Meta-analyses could not be conducted due to dissimilarities in included studies.
Conclusion: The reviewed papers demonstrate that HEPA filtration hastens the depletion of aerosols from the indoor space in the health facility. Further translation of this finding to prevent COVID-19 transmission should assume the relevance of room occupancy density, virus-free outdoor air supply, recirculated filtered air, virus source strength, number of sources, and the use of facemasks by health workers and visitors to the health facility.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 4:1548272 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-13 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Environmental Health |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1548272 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2025 |