Advancing Operating Room Performance: Reducing Infection Risk Through Airflow Design, Environmental Monitoring, and Smart Infrastructure

As Canadian healthcare organizations invest in surgical capacity, redevelopment projects, and infrastructure modernization, operating room design plays a critical role in supporting patient safety, operational efficiency, and long-term facility performance. This session explores how healthcare leaders, facility teams, designers, and engineers can leverage evidence-based approaches to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections, with a particular focus on surgical site infections (SSIs).

Participants will gain insight into how airflow design, room pressurization, and environmental conditions influence airborne particle migration within operating rooms. Through the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling, real-time indoor environmental quality (IEQ) monitoring, and predictive analytics, attendees will learn how healthcare facilities can better assess, manage, and maintain optimal operating environments.

The presentation will also highlight lessons from highly controlled industries, such as advanced manufacturing and cleanroom environments, and demonstrate how modular construction strategies, integrated building systems, and energy-efficient design can support healthcare redevelopment goals. These approaches can help improve environmental performance, reduce project timelines, enhance infrastructure resilience, and support safer surgical care across Canadian healthcare facilities.