Thermal comfort and occupant adaptive behaviours in naturally ventilated hospital wards in a hot-humid post-epidemic context

Abstract

In free-running hospitals, which comprise a significant part of the healthcare infrastructures in countries with the weakest public health systems, unmet spacecooling demand can exacerbate indoor overheating. To date, we lack a comprehensive understanding of human thermal adaptability in naturally ventilated inpatients facilities. Building on a mixed-methods longitudinal thermal comfort survey in eight naturally ventilated multi-patient wards during the rainy and dry seasons at the main tertiary hospital in a postepidemic context, the links between thermal comfort and occupant adaptive behaviours were explored through predictive correlations, probit regression and narrative analysis. The findings revealed that nurses directed the operation of the building controls while acceptable thermal conditions were defined by lower tolerance levels to elevated temperatures during the warm season and higher relative humidity levels during the rainy season. The mitigation of thermal distress among patients through the control of indoor humidity and airflow can function synergistically with airborne infection control.