Portable Air Filtration in a Long-Term Care Facility

What we are studying:

Whether technologies aimed at improving indoor air quality can reduce how many particles are present in the air and on surfaces in a long-term care facility, critical in limiting respiratory virus transmission and improving health and well-being among older adults.

Why it matters:

In the U.S., COVID-19 has led to >1 million confirmed cases and 150,000 deaths among residents in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) as of May 2022. Compared with younger age groups, older adults are more prone to mortality following COVID-19 or other respiratory infections due to the prevalence of high comorbidity(such as heart disease or diabetes). To mitigate respiratory infection risk in these facilities, it is critical to reduce potentially-infectious particles in the air and on surfaces (Offermann et al., 1985) to minimize exposure and lower spread of infection (Chen et al., 2010; Miller-Leiden et al., 1996; Zuraimi et al., 2011

Timeline:

• Study Planning: Start of Mar. 2022 – Start of Jul. 2022

• Study in Progress: Start of Jul. 2022 – End of Oct. 2022