Results of Long-Term Use of Air Sterilizers in Outpatient Clinics at a Tertiary University Hospital

Background: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns regarding airborne viral infections in health care settings have intensified. Following the installation of an air sterilizer in an outpatient clinic at a tertiary university hospital and an initial evaluation of its short-term effects, this study investigated the long-term impact of the air sterilizer on indoor air quality and employee satisfaction over a 1-year period. Methods: The ENT outpatient clinic at Chonnam National University Hospital was remodeled, and 15 KOKKOS air sterilizers (Bentech Frontier Co., Ltd., Gwangju, Korea) were installed. To evaluate the effectiveness of the air sterilizers, total culturable microorganisms (TCMs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured at four time points: 3 days before installation, 2 weeks postinstallation, 4 weeks postinstallation, and 1 year postinstallation. In addition, a product satisfaction survey was conducted among 11 clinic staff who had used the air sterilizers for 1 year. Survey categories included design, product performance, product service, and overall satisfaction. Results: One year after installation, TCMs and VOCs removal rates improved significantly, with mean reductions of 34.3% and 77.1%, respectively ( P <0.05). The satisfaction survey yielded high scores across all categories: 4.4 for design, 4.5 for product performance, 4.6 for product service, and 4.8 for overall satisfaction. Conclusions: The KOKKOS air sterilizer demonstrated sustained efficacy in reducing TCMs and VOCs in ENT outpatient clinics over a 1-year period. Furthermore, clinic staff reported high levels of satisfaction across multiple aspects of the product, supporting its potential utility in health care environments.