Patient Isolation Rooms: Negative Air Pressure & Temporary Walls

Updated September 3, 2025

Patient isolation is one of the most critical aspects of infection control in healthcare environments. A key component of effective isolation is negative air pressure, which prevents contaminated air from escaping into patient care areas. Modular temporary wall systems make it possible to quickly create or expand these specialized spaces while maintaining safety and compliance.

Why Negative Air Pressure Matters in Healthcare

In recent years, infectious disease outbreaks have underscored the critical importance of negative air pressure in patient isolation rooms. Hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities increasingly rely on temporary construction walls and airtight barriers to create isolation spaces that meet safety standards.

We spoke with Norris Gearhart, CR, CCHM and President/CEO of Gearhart and Associates, to break down what negative air is, how it works, and why modular containment solutions are essential to infection prevention.

What Is Negative Air Pressure?

Negative room pressure, or “negative air,” prevents cross-contamination by ensuring airflow moves into a contaminated or “dirty” space instead of allowing particles to escape into clean patient care areas.

This is critical in controlling airborne diseases such as:

• Tuberculosis
• Measles and chickenpox
• Severe respiratory infections (e.g., SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV)
• Seasonal and emerging influenzas

How Negative Air Is Achieved

Negative air occurs when the pressure inside a room is lower than the surrounding areas. This draws clean air in while preventing contaminated air from leaking out.

To meet healthcare requirements, Airborne Infectious Isolation Rooms (AIIRs) must:

• Be tightly sealed to prevent air leakage.
• Provide at least 12 air changes per hour (ACH).
• Maintain a minimum pressure differential of 0.03-inch water column.

Temporary construction walls—like STARC’s RealWall™, LiteBarrier™, and FireblockWall™ systems—can be configured to support these requirements, helping facilities rapidly expand isolation capacity.

Applications of Negative Air in Healthcare

Negative pressure is not just for patient rooms. Other critical spaces include:

• Bathrooms and soiled utility storage
• Emergency departments
• Radiology suites
• Morgues
• Environmental services closets
• Dirty side sterile processing areas

In all these spaces, containment barriers with negative air integration reduce infection risks for staff, patients, and visitors.

Meeting ICRA Standards with Negative Air

ICRA Class IV/V standards require temporary barriers that:

• Separate clean patient areas from active workspaces.
• Prevent dust and dangerous pathogens from escaping.
• Maintain negative air to direct airflow into the construction zone.

Temporary modular walls are the fastest way to meet these standards during both renovation projects and patient surge scenarios.

Planning for Future Pandemics and Patient Surges

Infectious disease surges and seasonal flu continue to strain healthcare systems. Temporary wall systems allow hospitals to:

• Quickly expand isolation wards.
• Convert standard rooms into AIIRs.
• Maintain compliance without long lead times or costly HVAC retrofits.

Positive Air Pressure: When the Opposite Is Needed

While negative air protects from contagious patients, positive air pressure protects immunocompromised patients. Examples include:

• Operating rooms
• Delivery rooms
• Procedure rooms and CATH labs
• Sterile storage and clean rooms
• Oncology and transplant units

Alternatives and Concerns

Filtration

 HEPA filtration reduces airborne risk when negative air isn’t feasible. Portable HEPA units, used properly, can simulate isolation environments.

Common Challenges

• Make-up air and exhaust placement
• Existing wall/soffit integrity
• Egress and fire code compliance (NFPA 241)
• Supply air leakage and expansion joints
• Fire dampers and fan sensor controls

Advantages of Temporary Construction Walls

STARC modular walls provide:

• Airtight seals to maintain negative air.
• Rapid installation (100 feet in under an hour).
• Compliance with ICRA Class IV/V and ASTM standards.
• Reusability, saving budget and reducing waste.
• Easy cleaning with antimicrobial disinfectants.

RealWall, LiteBarrier, FireblockWall, and StackBarrier™ systems can be configured to fit any space, making them a scalable solution for both planned renovations and emergency patient surge response.

FAQs: Patient Isolation and Negative Air

How-To: Creating a Negative Air Isolation Space

Final Thoughts: Building Safer Isolation Rooms

Negative air isolation rooms aren’t just for emergencies—they’re a year-round infection control necessity. By combining airtight modular walls with proper ventilation and ICRA compliance, healthcare facilities can better protect patients, staff, and their reputations.

Talk to a Temporary Wall Expert Today