Preventing Airborne Disease Transmission: Review of Methods for Ventilation Design in Health Care Facilities

Table 7

Summary of advantages and disadvantages of different types of ventilation systems for hospitals [5].

Ventilation systems	Advantages	Disadvantages
Mechanical	Suitable for all climates and more controlled and comfortable environment	Expensive installation and maintenance, noisy, and not fail-safe
Natural	Suitable for warm climates, inexpensive, and capable of achieving high exchange rates	Difficult to predict actual performance, affected by outdoor conditions, reduced comfort level, and high-tech versions difficult to implement and control
Hybrid	Suitable for most climates, energy savings, and more flexible	May be expensive, and difficult to design and control