STATE-REGULATION OF HOSPITAL WATER TEMPERATURE

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine current regulati ons and policies in the United States concerning maximal water tempera tures in acute care hospitals. DESIGN: A standardized questionnaire ad ministered by telephone to health department officials from 50 states and the District of Columbia. SETTING: State Health Departments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. RESULTS: All states responded to the survey. Respondents from 39 states (77%) reported regulating m aximum allowable hospital water temperature at a mean of 116-degrees-F (median, 120-degrees-F; mode 110-degrees-F; range, 110-degrees-F to 1 29-degrees-F). Twelve states (23%) have no regulations for maximum wat er temperature. Of the 39 states regulating maximum water temperature, 30 (77%) routinely monitor hospital compliance. Nine states (23%) con duct inspections only in response to a complaint or incident. CONCLUSI ONS: There is great variation among the states with respect to the exi stence, enforcement, and specific regulations controlling hospital wat er temperature. Risk-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses would hel p to assess the risk of scald injuries at water temperatures that will inhibit microbial contamination.