Smarter Indoor Air Quality is Redefining the Healthcare Environment

By Renée Jacobs, CHFM, CHC, FASHE

Patient care is a priority for healthcare organizations, but budget constraints can keep many operating with outdated facilities management systems. These systems are not seen as directly impacting patient outcomes, so they can fall to the end of the list for investment. This is a missed opportunity because modern building management systems that monitor and adjust for indoor air quality (IAQ) are one of the few areas of a hospital that can be a source of both energy savings and improved health for patients and staff.

More than just a regulatory checkbox

Despite the fact that 90% of people’s time is spent indoors, IAQ is still not fully regulated beyond minimum standards, nor is it prioritized in the spaces needed most. While most hospitals rely on mechanical ventilation systems, studies show that hospitals still commonly find elevated levels of toxic pollutants like carbon monoxide and bioaerosols.

Legacy HVAC systems were built for different standards, focusing on air changes per hour (ACH) based on static occupancy assumptions. Hospitals today are in constant flux. Spaces get crowded, leading to more frequent cleanings, raising humidity and moisture for mold to grow, and causing surges in particulate matter that can overwhelm filters. The dynamic nature of modern healthcare facilities can overwhelm outdated systems that are not designed to adapt or sense shifting conditions. As a result, they don’t adequately filter air or maintain safe humidity levels, allowing for pollutants to build up. Even with a lack of regulation, the impact of subpar IAQ puts patients and staff at risk.

Technology makes a case for cleaner air

Tools now exist that can track and manage IAQ automatically instead of manually. New affordable sensors and AI-powered platforms can continuously monitor environmental data and adjust airflow based on real-time conditions. This means less manual monitoring and faster adjustments, with more time for facilities and clinical staff to focus on other important tasks.

For example, tech tools like occupancy tracking can increase ventilation in a crowded waiting room or reduce it in empty areas to improve both health and comfort while minimizing wasted energy. Smart IAQ systems can flag changes in air pressure relationships, pollutant levels, or humidity before they escalate into care issues. Other beneficial tools include automated cooling and heating systems to keep occupants at comfortable levels and to automatically adjust when no one is using the rooms.

Leading healthcare facilities are correlating IAQ metrics with patient outcomes, using environmental data to strengthen infection prevention strategies and patient safety measures. The ability to measure air quality and respond instantly is helping shift IAQ from a passive requirement to an active component of healthcare delivery.

Indoor strategy meets operational efficiency

While the clinical benefits of IAQ tracking are clear, the operational benefits are equally as important. HVAC, cooling, and heating systems take up 52% of hospitals’ total energy use, with inefficient systems costing the most. Additionally, research indicates that poor IAQ can reduce occupant performance by as much as 6%-9%. In high-stakes healthcare environments, any dip in productivity matters.

For hospitals and facilities teams already stretched thin, even getting a baseline understanding of utility bills, finding the opportunities to save energy and identifying places within the building where IAQ could be improved can seem out of reach. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found that hospitals can save 14% of annual building energy consumption by integrating smart technology systems. Smart IAQ tracking provides measurable, actionable results that help hospitals reduce costs, boost performance, and stay focused on patient care.

A critical factor for health

IAQ can no longer be just an afterthought. IAQ monitoring and improvement would benefit everyone in healthcare settings if it were to become a strategic and financial priority. Just as handwashing was once met with skepticism, IAQ has an important role to play in the prevention of infection. Healthcare leaders must recognize that adopting smart building management systems that monitor and adjust IAQ automatically, support both patient health and cost reduction strategies. When air is treated as a priority, everyone benefits.

Renée Jacobs, CHFM, CHC, FASHE, is Healthcare Business Development Manager at Distech Controls, Acuity Inc. She has more than 30 years’ experience in healthcare construction, facilities management, and strategic sales in building technologies and sustainability.