Development of guideline for humidity conditions in hospital environment

Research Project

Project/Area Number	26670922
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Fundamental nursing
Research Institution	Kyushu University
Principal Investigator	Hashiguchi Nobuko 九州大学, 医学研究院, 准教授 (80264167)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	栃原裕九州大学, 芸術工学研究院, 名誉教授 (50095907) 樗木晶子九州大学, 医学研究院, 教授 (60216497)
Project Period (FY)	2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2016)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000) Fiscal Year 2016: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000) Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000) Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Keywords	湿度 / 療養環境
Outline of Final Research Achievements	According to our experimental study and literature review, we determined the following results: (1) Almost all of the previously reported criteria for thermal environment indicated that the recommended range of air temperature and humidity in a medical ward was 24-27℃, 50-60％RH (summer); and 20-24℃, 40-50%RH (winter), respectively. (2) From many field studies on the thermal environment in a hospital ward, the following tendencies were visible: the observed value of air temperature was higher than the recommended range, and air humidity was maintained within the range in summer. Conversely, in winter, the air temperature was higher and air humidity was lower than the recommended range.(3) The low-humidity environment simulated in the winter promoted a decrease in skin temperature for hands and feet, an increase in transepidermal water loss of the cheek, and an increased number of blinks.