Investigation of Sick Building Syndrome among the Personnel Working at the Tertiary Centers in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences

Introduction and purpose: The sick building syndrome is a collection of neurological, stimulatory, respiratory, dermal, and sensory signs, which is caused by the physical and mental conditions of the working environment. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the frequency of the signs of sick building syndrome among the staff working at one of the educational and therapeutic centers in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at one of tertiary centers of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in the summer of 2017. The population of the study consisted of a staff of 161 working at different sections, including emergency ward, follow-up services, operating room, cardiac care unit, intensive care unit. The standard questionnaire of MM040EA on sick building syndrome and indoor air quality was used to collect data. The results of the study were analyzed by employing the Chi-square and ANOVA tests (SPSS software, version 18) after the participants completed the questionnaires. The results showed that some of the symptoms of the syndrome, including dry skin (60.87%), headache (52.17%), fatigue (49.03%), and dizziness (45.34%), were more prevalent than other symptoms. The findings also revealed that the prevalence of the sick building syndrome does not significantly correlate with sex and occupational position. However, the frequency of the syndrome correlated significantly with the age (P=0.025), unpleasant odor (P=0.04), high temperature (P=0.033), and dry weather (P=0.032). According to the results of the current study, skin dryness and headache were the most common symptoms of the sick building syndrome among the staff. Therefore, the evaluation of air conditioning systems, ambient air humidity control, per capita increase in work space, and the use of sound insulation are beneficial ways to reduce the symptoms of sick building syndrome.