Prevalence of sick building syndrome in hospital staff and its relationship with indoor environmental quality
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sick building
syndrome (SBS), and its relationship with indoor environmental quality in
hospital settings. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 300 hospital
staff in Sivas. MM 040 NA Hospital questionnaire was applied. In the
hospital indoor environments, air quality (carbon monoxide (CO), carbon
dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2), methane (CH4), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), nitrogen
oxides (NOx)), lighting, noise, respirable dust and thermal comfort
measurements were made. The prevalence of SBS was determined as
64.7–74.1% in the hospitals. It was found that the risk of SBS was 4.31
times higher for those who complained about variable room temperature
and 3.11 times higher for those who complained about noise, and
decreased 1.01 times with the increase in lighting level. In order to
minimize the risk of SBS, it is thought that all healthcare administrators
should be informed about SBS.