Water Consumption By Outpatients In Health Clinics

define consumption.

Total water usage estimates?

According to Wikipedia (aka Wackypedia), the average American drinks 2 liters of water every day.

Since out-patients, by definition, are patients who are only temporarily visiting a health-care facility, then on average they probably drink very little water (or coffee, tea, etc.) since they are waiting for a medical test or procedure to be performed and often don't have immediate access to a bathroom to urinate after drinking anything. Aside from washing their hands, they'd have almost no need of water for washing, bathing, etc.

So if 2 liters per day is the average consumption - let's say 2 liters per 20 hour period to make it easy - then that would be 0.1 liter per person per hour. That would probably be a safe upper limit. If you want to allow a large margin for error, double that number to 0.2 liters per person per hour.

Sorry, the water consumption referred to the estimate of domestic water that the average outpatient would be expected to consume due to the use of sanitary fixtures such as lavatories, wc, etc.

Well, that would depend on the amount of grey water used for toilet flushing versus potable water. I mean, they use seawater to flush on ships, for example.

Are you sure your organisation has no previous data it can use from previous installations?

I have included a copy of section 8 of the Ontario Building code for establishing sewage requirements. They should be the same as water requirements if you exclude things like watering grass.

You will note that for hospitals the volume is based on 750 liters/bed with laundry facilities or 550 L/bed without laundry. Doctor's offices are indicated. You may have to juggle the numbers to get what you want or visit the building code office in your jurisdiction.

http://www.dynamicplasticsolutions.com/files/Ontario_Building_Code_Part8.pdf

Thanks much kevinm.

The 750 liters/bed for inpatients is perhaps not applicable to the consumption for outpatient who visits the clinics to see the doctor and is possibly in the health center for an hour or two. The figure for the practitioner might also not apply. I am looking for any precise guideline developed for design of health centers and the water storage tank holding capacity. Suppose if 200 outpatients are expected to visit a clinic each day in an 8 hour shift, what should be the size of the water storage tank that has no municipal water supply. The water must be hauled by tankers to fill the storage tank. So the size/capacity of the storage tank must be estimated fairly accurately in order not to fall short and also not be over sized.

Understood. Conservation of water would be very important. I would assume there is a septic system or another holding thank that will support the outpatient clinic. In which case we should anticipate at least one toilet flush for every visitor (urine sample, defecation). A low toilet flush requires 6 litres of water/flush. You must also allow some extra water consumption for the attendants (doctors, aids, nurses) who will be there for the 8 hour shift. In addition each patient may consume additional water for cleaning wounds or drinking. There will also be water required to clean up frequently.

My logic only:

200 patients x 1 flush/patient... 1200 litres

200 patients x drinking water... 400

3 employees x 75 litres... 225

cleaning estimated... 1000

Total daily minimum... 3850 litres

Precise is a problem. Sorry I do not have reliable figures but the numbers provided are based on minimum UN and low flush toilets. Cleaning water may be different as I could only guess. There may be some NGO group that would have a better history of water use that would be more applicable. Perhaps engineers without borders could help. They do lots of work with water for third world countries.

Good luck with your project.

This sounds like the problem of how much gas to put in the plane before departure. Since it is hard to predict whether or not one will be in a holding pattern for a couple of hours.... I say, "Fill 'er up!"

By the time the calculations are done, X liters of water per patient per day times a maximum occupancy expectancy (of say 80% ???) it is going to come up short when you need it the most. Since it is an Emergency supply, it would best to error on the side of having too much than having too little. After all, when the emergency hits, the likelihood is that the hospital will be 100+ percent occupied and the hallways will be full as well. When it comes to water, a worst case scenario is the best choice.

Thanks for your meaningful answer. The factor of safety should indeed be applied to the data about water consumption in outpatient clinics. It is this data that I am searching. The recommended minimum essential water storage in emergencies (such as water outage) 5 liters for each outpatient. I am simply searching for normal/regular water consumption data per outpatient. Any help by someone who has knowledge about the requirements for outpatient clinics would be appreciated.

If I were a consultant and was commissioned to do this study, I'd not turn to strangers for my data.

I'd look for consumption data from municipalities, universities, technical publications and health care professionals.

I might even pay someone to do the research.

If I were a student looking for answers, I'd go to wiki.

Lyn: You are right, I am trying to find the published data that has been collected by municipalities, etc. In this forum, I am trying to source any published data on the subject that I personally have been unable to locate.

I would not pay to reinvent the wheel. Health clinics have been around for some time and I am very hopeful that such data has been collected and published.

Therefore the feedback from anyone who has come across such data would be appreciated.

Take a look at similar sized clinics, and ask them nicely for a copy of their water bill.

Other than that, take the emergency use figure and multiply by 10. 10,000 L/d is not all that much water. A 10,000 Liter tank is a bit more than 2600 gallons. It is easy to get a 3000 gallon plastic tank that will meet the needs, and have reserve if the truck does not make it the next day, and even if the tank is empty, most trucks should be able to move the 10KL/load with not much problem. Don't wear the idea out thinking about it, just do it. If you try one size smaller, don't worry, you can always add another tank later.

Here is a information sheet from WHO and it may help. At least it gives a site to quote or base some assumptions. The table 9.2 does not include water for clean-up, toilets, or staff usages. FYI.

If you can't find it on Google, it doesn't exist.

The water supply authority should provide 2 kinds of water with meter-untreated & treated. Further individual consumer can have their own gray water.Alternatively gray water except sewage may be returned to authority in each area(storage facility)& supplied to consumers.

You are delusional.

If you need clarification, let me know.

Would you want a peak usage figure to design by. As the daily numbers of patients change. In the flu season or on holidays these numbers peak. If the patients over tax the system that it was not design for it may reduce the level of care. As the facility as a whole has equipment that utilizes water for patient care.

I think the following excerpt of my earlier post defines the scenario. I am simply looking for water consumption by outpatients and then apply factors of safety later. Such data exists for a host of other categories, for example office workers, inpatients in hospitals, practitioners, students (day and boarding) passengers at airports and bus stations, etc. That is all I am looking for and no more and no less for the outpatient in health care centers: "....Suppose if 200 outpatients are expected to visit a clinic each day in an 8 hour shift, what should be the size of the water storage tank that has no municipal water supply. The water must be hauled by tankers to fill the storage tank...." Please do not even work out the tank size, just provide the figure of water consumption per outpatient if you or someone has this data. Thanks a lot.

Match the tank size to the doggone size of the tankers silly man! If you need more than one tanker load per day, get a second tank, and stop being obtuse. You won't lose more than a good night's sleep over it.

It would be interesting if it goes like this " Beer Consumption By Outpatients in Health Clinics"