Anyone been through the building of a new facility?

Tookie · Aug 4, 2002

The mob that l work for are planning extensions to our hostel - low care facility - the management are actively asking the staff to contribute their thoughts - particulalry from their safety perspective, to reduce potential injuires etc,

The need to look into the future and how wide corridors storages space should be etc. - They are also asking the current residnts their preferences and how we can maintain our homelike enviornment that we work very hard at for the residents

So it should be interesting as to how it will trun out - we have got some trouble with getting the land still so until that is resolved the current shortages of aged care beds will cintinue in our area.

Good Luck with you rebuilding plans

Tookie

OrthoNutter · Aug 4, 2002

Hmmmphh....when we were getting redeveloped...they had nursing "consults" with all the wards. They asked us on our opinion for various layouts etc, we told them they sucked and that we would prefer it in this way instead and they told us it wasn't in the budget so tough, this is what you're stuck with.

flowerchild · Aug 4, 2002

I have been through this twice. My advice, think of every detail that you can and let them know what you need. Where the outlets are located in the rooms, to hookups, to extra handrails in the bathroom. Now is the time cause if you don't mention something imparticular, and they mess it up, they can just say..well, you didn't tell us you wanted "this and that". Once the construction is done, you will not get it changed. They will go off the blueprints and you are stuck with what ever they do. Think about every aspect of care and what would be best. Ask for overhead lifts. Ask for layout with flow and continuity. Can you see any of the rooms from the nurses station? How high are the walls of the station. Is there adequate area in the station for computers, phones, open areas for charting, etc. You are right, they don't always listen, but atleast you can say you tried. Good Luck! Moving is a bear.

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 4, 2002

Actually, yes, the planning stages of two and the moving stage of one of those. The second facility was a county facility also. Since I work in Radiology I can't answer for how the nursing units/ pt rooms turned out, or what comments those who work in them have. I'll ask around and see what the med/surg etc nurses have to say. I have heard them mention the linen/supplies/med room were awkwardly located, increasing the amount of walking required for those things.

We noticed in Radiology that our Ultrasound rooms were WAY too small and too few (yet we have a very spacious, echo-y main lobby and wide halls!). Also, a lot of the clerical areas in our dept (main dept registration area and the Ultrasound/Nuc Med work area), while supposedly designed for several persons working back-to-back, are quite crowded when each chair is filled with a person working at a comfortable distance from the computers/phones. You can't even walk through the area without five or six people scooting their chairs in to allow you space to walk. and still you have to do the squiggle-through-the-chair-maze dance! Short-sighted, IMHO.

Good to hear they're at least showing you the plans before they're finalized. At the first facility where there was a planned move, I worked in the ICU and we also got to preview the plans. Did we ever add suggestions (I'm sure the architects slapped their foreheads in dismay when they saw them!!): can we see in each room? This/that needs to be closer. Supplies too far away. Where does the crash cart go? Storage for gurneys/wheelchairs/lift/scale/IV poles? Break room too small for X amount of nurses? Too little counter space for MDs and staff to work? Separate private dictation area for MDs? Xray viewing or PACS station (in locked area, for confidentiality)? All computers facing away from hall traffic, also for confidentiality? Also (don't know when this comes in) check on signage. Ours is VERY confusing for the pts, we are CONSTANTLY redirecting people to where they should be (the hallways all look the same, no color differentiation or large-lettered signs every few feet or lines painted on the walls or anything. Small signs by the elevators and intersections but I think they need major redoing). The hallways from the out-pt specialty clinics area are SOOOOO long for the CHFers, ortho (crutches etc) or just shufflers. We do have a shuttle that will bring pts (and us, if we're able to catch it) in from the back 40 of the parking lot. Which, by the way, is TOO crowded during the day. Some spaces were recently added but it might have made more sense to build a tiered parking lot. 'Course, then security might be a bigger problem . . .

Our ICU and the OR rooms have those columns (MEDEAS???) for monitoring, which swivel in any direction and area loaded with outlets, suction, monitor docking, IV hooks, etc. They seem efficient but again, I'll have to ask those who work with them on a regular basis.

How about family waiting rooms and communication w/them (from the nurse's station)? Is there a "Quiet Room" in the ER and other places it may be needed (ICU?? NICU??)

Will try to find out more, although it may not be for a few more days. Good luck!! --- D

PsychoRN · Aug 4, 2002

During my career I have worked at 3 hospitals that built new facilities. The thing that all 3 hospitals failed to put in their new facilities was a report or break room for the nursing staff. In 2 of the facilities we ended up converting very small closets in to report/break rooms. Also in 2 of the facilities there were no bathrooms built for staff use on the units. My experience is the needs of staff seem to be forgotten when new hospitals are designed

Reabock · Aug 5, 2002

Some things to consider as time and labor/step savers :

Sinks in rooms (not just in the pts bathrooms)

no "lip" or color change in edge of floor going into bathroom, (amazing what a Pain in the A** that 1/4" lip is when trying to wheel a commode chair with a heavy pt or when pt using walker trips or gets walker stuck every time on it!)

Storage areas large enough and close enough to where equipment will be used and lots of sockets higher on the walls there to plug stuff in without falling over other stuff to get to it.

Small adjustable lights for pts to read or to check pts at night without turning on the bright overhead lights

A central nurses station that affords an easy view of several rooms for confused pts and ergonomically set up for those da**ed computers

A break/locker room with bathroom access and set up area for decent sized fridge and microwave for only OUR use and decent table & chairs

Shelves or areas in rooms for pts flowers or cards, etc from home and shelf in bathroom to use for personal care items and larger area to the side of the toilet to maneuver larger pts and commoge chairs, etc.

deespoohbear · Aug 5, 2002

Thanks for all the great responses.:) The floor plan they showed us had one nurses' station in the middle of the hall and you can't see the patients' rooms. We tried to tell them that we need smaller "satellite" stations or the rooms rearranged so we can see them better. The administration is hell bent on us doing bedside charting and this is how they intend to get us to do it. The nursing supervisors making these decisions of course are not the ones working the floor, but that is another thread. Keep the other ideas coming, I will be sure to pass them on to my co-workers.