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solating patients in isolation rooms or isolation wards is one of the most important extended hygiene measures. In certain risk situations, such as the emergence ofmulti-resistant pathogens, spatial isolation provideseffective protection against the transmission of such pathogens to non-colonisedor non-infected patients. This particularly applies to the careof immunosuppressed patients. To achieve this effectively, suchrooms and wards must meet a defined set of criteria (see infographics below) [1]:
When can isolation rooms be entered?
The German S1 guideline on sustainability in intensive care and emergency medicine, published in 2025 [2], also provides recommendations on how the care of patients in isolation rooms should be organised. For example, healthcare professionals should only enter isolation rooms if there is a clear medicalindication. However, isolated patients must not receive inferior care compared to non-isolated patients.Activities in the room should therefore be consolidated [2].
What should hospitals prepare for in the future?
A position paper published in 2024 by the Professional Association of German Anesthesiologists (BDA) and the German Society for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI) on ecological sustainability in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine [3] also addresses this topic of isolation. It highlights the possible increase in “unusual” and potentially pandemic infectious diseases, which may be promoted by climate change. To be prepared for such scenarios, hospitals should maintainadequate isolation facilities and provide staff training in infection management [3].
Infographics on isolation rooms
Sources:
- KRINKO (2015) Infektionsprävention im Rahmen der Pflege und Behandlung von Patienten mit übertragbaren Krankheiten.Bundesgesundheitsbl 58:1151–1170.
- Kochanek M et al. (2025) S1-Leitlinie Nachhaltigkeit in der Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin. MedKlinIntensivmedNotfmed. Epubaheadofprint.
- Schuster M et al. (2024) Ökologische Nachhaltigkeit in der Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin – Aktualisierung 2024. AnästhIntensivmed 65: 541–557.(accessed on August 13, 2025)
