Isolation room is a room specially designed to treat patients with infectious diseases to be separated from other patients. The purpose of the isolation room in the hospital is to control the spread of infectious diseases that can become epidemic.
Considering the isolation room in the hospital is a special room, the people who can enter this room are also very limited. The entry procedure is not arbitrary and must be obeyed by nurses, doctors, hospital staff, and family members of patients.
Isolation Room Function
In general, the main function of the isolation room is to prevent the transmission of disease to other people. Isolation rooms are divided into 2 types, namely rooms that use negative air pressure and positive air pressure.
Isolation rooms that use negative air pressure are used for infected patients whose transmission can occur through the air. With this negative pressure, the air from inside the isolation room that may contain germs that cause infection does not come out and contaminate the outside air.
In contrast, isolation rooms that use positive air pressure are used for patients who are prone to infection. Positive air pressure is obtained from clean air that has been filtered and cleaned, then pumped into the room continuously. This keeps the air entering the isolation room sterile.
Conditions Requiring Isolation Room
The following are some diseases that can be recommended to be treated in isolation:
- SARS, MERS, COVID-19
- Diphtheria
- Cholera
- Tuberculosis
- Infection with multidrug-resistant organismsmulti-drug resistant organisms/MDRO)
- Chicken pox
- HIV/AIDS
Under certain conditions, there are patients who are required to occupy the isolation room alone and some can be placed together with other patients. Usually patients who occupy isolation rooms with other patients are those who have the same disease.
Special Rules for Isolation Rooms in Hospitals
Each hospital has different procedures for visitors who want to visit patients in isolation rooms. Some are allowed, some are not. Regulations in the isolation room depend on the illness of the patient being treated in it.
If you are allowed to visit an isolated patient, make sure you report yourself first to the doctor or nurse who is guarding the room. Follow the instructions given to visit the patient.
Special rules that need to be followed when visiting patients who are being treated in isolation rooms include:
- Wash hands properly, both before and after visiting patients in the isolation room
- Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent disease transmission from patients or to protect patients from germs that may be brought by visitors
- Close the door tightly after entering or leaving the isolation room
- Do not enter the isolation room if you are suffering from the flu or other diseases that are susceptible to infection or are susceptible to contracting the disease
Visitors must also follow the instructions and other policies that apply at the hospital, such as visiting hours. Generally, children are not allowed into the isolation room.
When someone is treated in an isolation room, it is very likely that the disease he is experiencing will be dangerous if it is transmitted to other people. Alternatively, it will be very dangerous for the patient if he gets even a mild infection.
The effects that occur if regulations in isolation rooms are not heeded can be very large, not only for patients, but also for medical personnel, hospital staff, visitors, and even the wider community. That is why everyone who enters the isolation room must follow the rules in an orderly manner.