Indoor air quality and work-related symptoms among healthcare workers in a Malaysian specialist hospital: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study

IF 1.9 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health Pub Date : 2026-09-01 Epub Date: 2026-09-02 DOI:10.1016/j.cegh.2026.102465

Purnima devi Suppiah, Stephenie Ann Albart, Nor Aslina Abd Jalil

{"title":"Indoor air quality and work-related symptoms among healthcare workers in a Malaysian specialist hospital: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study","authors":"Purnima devi Suppiah, Stephenie Ann Albart, Nor Aslina Abd Jalil","doi":"10.1016/j.cegh.2026.102465","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background/Objectives</h3><div>Indoor air quality (IAQ) in healthcare settings significantly influences the health, comfort, and productivity of healthcare workers (HCWs). Malaysia's tropical climate poses significant occupational health risks in hospital environments where inadequate ventilation, high humidity and pollutant accumulation intensify exposure hazards for healthcare workers. This study aimed to assess IAQ-related conditions across different hospital work areas (open and enclosed) and to describe environmental discomfort and self-reported health-related symptoms among healthcare workers in a major specialist hospital in northern Malaysia.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A mixed-methods design was employed, comprising a systematic walkthrough inspection guided by the Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality (ICOP-IAQ, 2010) and a cross-sectional survey using a validated Questionnaire for Building Occupants. Data from 265 HCWs were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square test) to explore differences in environmental discomfort and reported symptoms across workstation types.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Walkthrough inspection revealed visible fungal growth, dust accumulation, and poor ventilation across several clinical, support and administrative areas. The most commonly reported environmental discomforts were temperature variability (78.1%), dust (71.7%), and low temperature (68.3%), while the most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (78.1%), headache (73.6%), and cough (69.1%). Open-concept workstations were significantly associated with high temperature, stuffy air, dry air, and unpleasant odours. <strong>Conclusions</strong>: The findings indicate notable IAQ-related concerns across hospital work areas, accompanied by widespread environmental discomfort and a high prevalence of self-reported SBS-like symptoms among healthcare workers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46404,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 102465"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213398426001806","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/9/2 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in healthcare settings significantly influences the health, comfort, and productivity of healthcare workers (HCWs). Malaysia's tropical climate poses significant occupational health risks in hospital environments where inadequate ventilation, high humidity and pollutant accumulation intensify exposure hazards for healthcare workers. This study aimed to assess IAQ-related conditions across different hospital work areas (open and enclosed) and to describe environmental discomfort and self-reported health-related symptoms among healthcare workers in a major specialist hospital in northern Malaysia.

Methods

A mixed-methods design was employed, comprising a systematic walkthrough inspection guided by the Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality (ICOP-IAQ, 2010) and a cross-sectional survey using a validated Questionnaire for Building Occupants. Data from 265 HCWs were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square test) to explore differences in environmental discomfort and reported symptoms across workstation types.

Results

Walkthrough inspection revealed visible fungal growth, dust accumulation, and poor ventilation across several clinical, support and administrative areas. The most commonly reported environmental discomforts were temperature variability (78.1%), dust (71.7%), and low temperature (68.3%), while the most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (78.1%), headache (73.6%), and cough (69.1%). Open-concept workstations were significantly associated with high temperature, stuffy air, dry air, and unpleasant odours. Conclusions: The findings indicate notable IAQ-related concerns across hospital work areas, accompanied by widespread environmental discomfort and a high prevalence of self-reported SBS-like symptoms among healthcare workers.

查看原文本刊更多论文

马来西亚一家专科医院医护人员的室内空气质量和工作相关症状：一项混合方法横断面研究

背景/目的卫生保健机构的室内空气质量（IAQ）显著影响卫生保健工作者（HCWs）的健康、舒适和工作效率。马来西亚的热带气候在医院环境中造成重大的职业健康风险，通风不足、高湿度和污染物积聚加剧了医护人员的暴露危险。本研究旨在评估不同医院工作区域（开放和封闭）的室内空气质量相关条件，并描述马来西亚北部一家主要专科医院医护人员的环境不适和自我报告的健康相关症状。方法采用混合方法设计，包括在《室内空气质量行业操作规范》（ICOP-IAQ, 2010）的指导下进行系统的行走检查，以及使用有效的建筑物居住者问卷进行横断面调查。使用描述性和推断性统计（卡方检验）对265名医护人员的数据进行分析，以探讨不同工作站类型的环境不适和报告症状的差异。结果步行检查显示，在几个临床、支持和行政区域可见真菌生长、灰尘堆积和通风不良。最常见的环境不适报告是温度变化（78.1%）、粉尘（71.7%）和低温（68.3%），而最常见的报告症状是疲劳（78.1%）、头痛（73.6%）和咳嗽（69.1%）。开放式工作站与高温、闷热、干燥的空气和难闻的气味密切相关。结论：研究结果表明，整个医院工作区域都存在明显的与室内空气质量相关的问题，伴随着广泛的环境不适和卫生保健工作者中自我报告的sbs样症状的高患病率。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

7.70%

发文量

218

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health (CEGH) is a multidisciplinary journal and it is published four times (March, June, September, December) a year. The mandate of CEGH is to promote articles on clinical epidemiology with focus on developing countries in the context of global health. We also accept articles from other countries. It publishes original research work across all disciplines of medicine and allied sciences, related to clinical epidemiology and global health. The journal publishes Original articles, Review articles, Evidence Summaries, Letters to the Editor. All articles published in CEGH are peer-reviewed and published online for immediate access and citation.