Monitors to Improve Indoor Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Concentrations in the Hospital

Ventilation with fresh outdoor air has recently gained considerable attention as a means to reduce the potential risk of indoor aerosol transmission of respiratory pathogens such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Commercial carbon dioxide (CO2) monitors are increasingly used in schools, long-term care facilities, offices and public buildings to monitor indoor ventilation. However, no formal evidence is available to support the effectiveness of feedback from CO2 monitoring devices. Moreover, modern hospitals have superior indoor air quality control systems. The aim of this prospective pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to evaluate whether CO2 monitoring devices would be useful as a means to further maintain lower indoor CO2 concentrations in hospitals.