Negative pressure rooms are most commonly used as isolation rooms in hospitals or specialized medical centers to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) even has standards written about them and refers to them as airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs).
Negative pressure rooms, or AIIRs, are critical in controlling indoor air quality in a triage or emergency environment. They are required by the CDC as a means to protect the public from the spread of disease. Patients who are quarantined in isolation rooms usually have illnesses like:
- Tuberculosis
- SARS
- H5N1
- COVID-19
- Coughing conditions that may pose a risk to hospital staff and guests