equipment needs to be able to
achieve that.
2. Specifications provided by AORN
and AAMI are recommendations
for clinical practice and are not the
same as design specifications.
Concern then is that reviewers
were evaluating and citing the
design specifications of HVAC
systems to AORN/AAMI practice
recommendations and not to the
design specifications.
With the publication in 2017 of the
updated version of AAMI/ANSI ST79:
Comprehensive Guide to Steam
Sterilization and Sterility Assurance
in Health Care Facilities, the AAMI
Sterilization Standards Committee
took a different tack. Rather than
make specific recommendations for
temperature and humidity conditions in
decontamination areas, ST79 directs
the reader to the ASHRAE/ASHE
design specifications document.
Recognizing the unique challenges
of achieving and maintaining a
comfortable core body temperature
in decontamination areas, ST79
now includes an informative annex
on Managing Employee Core Body
Temperature.
Annex Q in the recently published,
updated version of AAMI/ANSI ST79
provides some useful guidance
to healthcare facilities to help
decontamination staff to manage their
core body temperature and mitigate
the inevitable discomfort in those
areas. Recommendations include:
• Frequent breaks
• Staying hydrated
• Gowns manufactured of innovative
fabrics that both provide protection
from liquid contaminations, but
allow evaporation of body heat.
• Use of body cooling devices,
including evaporative neck and
headwear, and active cooling
devices utilizing phase change
packs
Achievable Solutions
Recognition of the challenges related
to controlling core body temperature
has naturally lead to product
innovations — and are sure to lead to
more.
Already, easy to use and affordable
evaporative cooling products, that
only require a brief dunk in cool water,
can deliver hours of cooling, when
worn as directed.
Vests and other garments are also
available that provide active cooling,
utilizing phase change technology
that deliver constant cooling to the
body for extended periods, after
exposure to refrigerator or freezer
temperatures.
Another area of rapid development
focuses on high tech garment
designs utilizing advanced fabrics
that simultaneously provide
protection from liquids while allowing
evaporation of heat from the body.
Workers in the decontamination
areas of healthcare facilities are
certainly among the unsung heroes of
society. They are asked to be experts
in the proper handling and cleaning
of literally thousands of devices, with
an incomparable range of designs
and constructions. Their jobs require
the handling of highly contaminated
— and often sharp — instruments that
pose a constant risk to their personal
safety and health. To mitigate those
dangers, they wear clothing that
looks more like a space suit, limiting
dexterity and also personal comfort.
We owe these folks a great deal
of gratitude, yet their compensation
certainly does not reflect that. It is
incumbent upon us in the industry
to try and make that situation better.
Addressing the personal comfort of
these unsung heroes is a start.
Healthmark’s Cool Aids can provide hours of comfort to healthcare staff. (Image credit: Healthmark
Industries)