The Different Types of Isolation Rooms

When designing controlled healthcare or laboratory environments, understanding the different types of isolation rooms is essential. Each type—negative pressure, positive pressure, quarantine and anteroom—is engineered to protect either people inside the room or those in the surrounding environment from airborne contaminants. Modular solutions offer flexibility and compliance-friendly design for these specialized spaces.

Let’s talk about what the types of rooms are and what they are specifically used for. 

Types of Isolation Rooms

1. Negative Pressure Isolation Rooms (Containment)

How They Work:
Negative pressure, or Class N Isolation rooms, maintain airflow into the room, preventing contaminated air from escaping to adjacent areas. The air pressure inside the room is lower than in the surrounding area. If a door is opened, the pressure difference keeps the air inside of the room, protecting anyone outside that space safe from germs and particles in the isolation room. 

This type of isolation room  is critical for containing pathogens like tuberculosis, measles, or COVID-19. An exhaust system continuously removes air from the room in order to maintain its negative pressure.

Use Cases:
Key in healthcare settings, particularly during pandemics, these rooms help prevent airborne transmission by keeping contaminants confined.

Tip:
Ensure exhaust systems have HEPA filtration and ventilation systems are isolated from building HVAC to eliminate cross-contamination.

2. Positive Pressure Isolation Rooms (Protective)

How They Work:
Class P Isolation rooms are kept at a higher pressure than adjacent spaces, which keeps airborne contaminants out. Positive pressure isolation rooms are ideal for maintaining sterile environments.

Use Cases:
Used for patients with weakened immune systems (e.g., post-transplant, oncology) to protect against environmental contaminants.

Note:
Regulations for positive pressure rooms vary; design these based on the patients’ needs and facility support systems.

3. Quarantine Rooms

A Class Q room is a negative pressure isolation room used in conjunction with other infection control measures like anterooms. These rooms are ideal for maintaining quarantine in an infection situation such as a pandemic. The other precautions may include alarms, self-closing doors, and a ventilation system that removes air from the room without allowing any of it to return. HEPA or ULPA filters should be used to filter the exhaust leaving the room so no one outside is exposed to it. 

4. Anterooms

An anteroom is sometimes referred to as a gown room or an airlock. It’s used as a controlled area in which staff can enter or exit and transfer supplies and equipment while maintaining the separation between the room and the surrounding area. Staff can also put on or remove PPE if necessary. If the negative pressure in the isolation room were to fail, the anteroom would function as an additional protective barrier.

Why This Matters

• Improves infection control and product quality
• Helps navigate compliance with healthcare standards
• Guides design of modular cleanroom components for isolation applications

The various types of isolation rooms function in different ways to keep people safe from viruses, bacteria, or other pollutants that might endanger them. Technical Air Products manufactures the components necessary to build and maintain Class P, Class N, and Class Q rooms for hospitals and other healthcare facilities. 
For healthcare or laboratory facilities pursuing modular or custom isolation solutions, understanding the types of isolation rooms ensures the right approach—while supporting operational flexibility and safety. Please take some time to look over the options we have available or contact us for more information.