Which hospital area requires positive air pressure?

• A. Pharmacy clean room
• B. Isolation rooms
• C. Janitor's Closet
• D. Construction Area

Answer: (A)

Maintaining air pressure differentials helps control the direction of airflow and protect sensitive areas from contamination. A pharmacy clean room uses positive pressure so air flows outward toward surrounding spaces when doors are opened, reducing the chance that contaminants from hallways or adjacent areas are drawn into the sterile compounding environment. This outward flow, combined with HEPA filtration, helps preserve the cleanliness and integrity of the sterile products being prepared.

Isolation rooms are typically maintained at negative pressure to keep infectious agents contained inside the room and prevent them from spreading to other areas. A janitor’s closet and a construction area are not designed to be positive-pressure, controlled clean spaces, so they aren’t maintained with the same inward protection that a clean room requires.