Hands-free sinks, Hindrance in Hospital Infection Control

A telling research on handsfree sinks by Johns Hopkins Hospital. This is the 2^nd research I’ve encountered with negative results.

Thought you would find this interesting. “…(hands-free sinks) were more likely to be contaminated with one of the most common and hazardous bacteria in hospitals compared to old-style fixtures with separate handles for hot and cold water.”

For full article published by Johns Hopkins Medicine, click here.

JCAHO

Effective January 1, 2011, JCAHO has adopted the 2010 Healthcare Guidelines. The next revised edition is expected in 2014.

Walmart: New Retail Design

Wal-mart, the biggest retailer in the world, does not rest on its laurels. A few days ago, I went to a Wal-mart in Newark, Ohio. My very first reaction had me stopping on my feet to see it all, this is different. All of a sudden, I was walking into a much brighter, cleaner, more open store. Everything that I had in my grocery list was visible -well, almost everything. There were bigger signs, lower aisles, wider corridors, 45 degree lanes... definitely a more inviting retail design.

Some time ago, I had read that Wal-mart was moving into a new direction, and would be changing their stores to improve the consumer experience. This initiative was part of their Project Impact model, a new initiative to turn their stores into a quick stop shop with friendlier and cleaner spaces. But how soon would I seeing or noticing the improvements of this retail giant? Soon enough.

On their website, Wal-mart writes: The new layout creates an open shopping environment with wider aisles that contain no product displays. Lower shelving throughout the store creates an improved sightline and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly.

The new design is a responsible factor behind their recent performance improvements. Their inventory turn over has greatly reduced, offering the customer the chance to get what they need without the visual clutter around it. In the current economic downturn and in the middle of pre-holiday season, other retailers must be looking around for new ways to attract customers. Taking a look at Wal-mart's improvements, changing the retail design is one of them.

On my way out, I even had a double-sided receipt, a greener move. Now that the holiday season is about to begin, will we see other stores copying this concept? Or will we soon be seeing a better model?

In the mid time, (an early) Happy Holidays.

The Hospital of the Future

Writing about the future patient rooms, got me thinking about the bigger picture, the future of healthcare design and the bigger task in hand. Designing a hospital can be once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity, and many times, it can be obsolete before even completing its life cycle. Architects and planners have to design for:

1. flexibility,

2. adaptability,

3. expansion,

4. safety,

5. productivity and

6. sustainability.

...And if that was not enough, designers should also consider:

7. the patient-centered care trends,

8. branding, and

9. the future of the healthcare administration.

let me know of you can think of anything else.

Patient Room Design

There is so much to say about patient rooms. My general approach is to see it from the patient's perspective. It is suggested that room doors should be located “patient right”, where the door is to the right-hand side of the patient bed. Since around 90% of the population is right-handed, I cant' object to that. Another worth-mentioning best practice is to locate the toilet room door on the same side of the head wall, so patient has the option to lean on to the wall in case mobility assistance is needed.

Patient Room of the Future

In patient rooms, where flexibility is the key factor, the question seems to be: what will the adaptable patient room of the future be like? You must consider healthcare trends, characteristics of future patients, resource limitations, rising costs, and technology. However, about the technology of the future, keep in mind that the rule of thumb is: do not project more than 7 years ahead. Otherwise, you can end up with something like the image below, the humongous 2004 computer of the future, decades ahead of its time....

In a healthcare world that is heavily gravitating towards patient-centered services, and where technology moves at exponential speeds, this seems like a tricky task for our healthcare planners. I'm confident the best trends are just around the corner.

Handed versus Mirrored Rooms

Traditionally, mirrored rooms have been preferred as their construction allows for shared head walls and plumbing walls. So the thought was that sharing wet walls should mean savings in construction costs.

On the other hand, same-handed rooms seem to be favorable for medical staff -although no tangible evidence is available yet. With every room being identical, medical staff would be able to access the exact same layout, reducing the possibility of medical errors. What's more, it is suggested that same-handed rooms can project lower costs. Architects can document same-handed items, contractors can build same-handed rooms faster, and health care organizations would only acquire/replace/track same-handed room equipment and furniture.

My preference, same-handed layouts. What say you?