Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38408038›Full record

ArticlePLOS global public health2024

Respiratory infection transmission risk and indoor air quality at outpatient departments and emergency treatment units of Sri Lankan teaching hospitals.

N D B Ehelepola, H M Arjuna Thilakarathna

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLOS global public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

N D B EhelepolaTeaching (General) Hospital-Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9133-2307
H M Arjuna ThilakarathnaTeaching (General) Hospital-Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
University of Peradeniya · LK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has been used as a proxy of the degree of ventilation and, by extension, as an indicator of the risk of contracting respiratory infections. No publications exist regarding indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters of Sri Lankan hospitals.We measured the levels of CO2 and seven other IAQ parameters during morning rush hours for three days, in outpatient departments (OPDs) and emergency treatment units (ETUs) of all 21 teaching hospitals of Sri Lanka. We measured the same parameters of outdoor air also. We calculated the mean values of those parameters. We looked for correlations between outdoors and OPD and ETU levels of selected air quality parameters.The average CO2 levels of outdoors, OPDs and ETUs respectively were 514ppm (ppm = parts per million), 749ppm and 795ppm. The average levels of PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameters <2.5μm) outdoors, OPDs and ETUs respectively, were 28.7μg/m3,32μg/m3 and 25.6 μg/m3. The average levels of PM10 (particulate matter with diameters <10μm) outdoors, OPDs and ETUs respectively, were 49.4μg/m3, 55.5μg/m3 and 47.9 μg/m3. The median levels of formaldehyde outdoors, OPDs and ETUs respectively, were 0.03mg/m3, 0.04mg/m3 and 0.08mg/m3. The median levels of total volatile organic compounds (VOC) outdoors, OPDs and ETUs respectively were 0.12mg/m3, 0.19mg/m3 and 0.38mg/m3.CO2 levels of air in OPDs and ETUs generally were below the national ceilings but above the ceilings used by some developed countries. Outdoors, OPDs and ETUs air contain PM10, PM2.5 levels higher than WHO ceilings, although below the national ceilings. VOC and formaldehyde levels are generally below the national ceilings. Air in OPDs and ETUs is hotter and humid than national ceilings. Outdoor PM10, PM2.5 levels influence OPDs and ETUs levels. We propose methods to reduce the risk of nosocomial respiratory infections and to improve IAQ of Sri Lankan OPDs and ETUs.

Identifiers

PMID38408038
PMCPMC10896534
OpenAlexW4392167082

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.