If Bill Gates gave you a grant for several billion dollars and said design a hospital

[Roland]

from the ground up. What would you do different? He gives you the authority to hire any personnel that you desire. The only catch is that your hospital will be evaluated in TWO years for efficacy and viability. IF it proves successful it will be a model for "national" emulation. On the other hand if it fails it will be a concession to the status quo. What sort of policies and innovations might you implement to improve nursing, physician, and allied health satisfaction in the context of also providing excellent patient care (even though you have several billion to work with, your hospital must also ultimately operate at a profit). It is said that true innovations are often to be found with those with the most hands on experience. This is an opportunity to express some of that experience into concrete plans (and who knows maybe it will get back to Mr. Gates).

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Tasty question.....I'd have an architect who relied on the employees in room and station design. I'd have windows (my main thingy about the last place)

I'd have private rooms in pods rather than stretched down a long hall. I'd want the BEST soundproofing available.

A computer/terminal for every employee interfaced with all departments so info wouldnt be repeated ad nauseum. Vital sign machines that interface with the system...no little pieces of paper with vitals scratched on them.

I know I have more but I'm too tired to design anymore.

Oh and parking!!! With a shuttle on cold and rainy days to hurry into the building.

I'd staff with ratios in mind. I think 5 as a very top for one nurse would be my limit.

I'd have lab and pharmacy satellites on each floor.

[Roland]

that would interface with vital telemetry could be revolutionary. Imagine, if we could integrate artificial intelligence programs into such a system that might automatically alert to impending patho-physiological situations commonly missed! Also, your "pod" design could be powerful in reducing response time to call lights AND codes!

Here's another idea. How about having ultraviolet lights that AUTOMATICALLY function when the rooms (including restrooms) were empty. Perhaps, this could reduce the proliferation of MRSA, and other bad germs. I sure remember back in Micro B. that UV light was more effective than LISTERINE in killing a variety of pathogenic organisms.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

I would love to be on a committe that would build LTC facilities... I always say if I win the milliions I would donate some to my facility for simple things like lighting and electric beds!

[katscan]

The way you asked the question, it sounds like you are researching the topic. Are you working on a Master's thesis? Just wondering.....

[bellehill, RN]

Good cafeteria food for night shift with a never ending supply of fresh-brewed coffee (sorry, hungry and tired right now).

Equipment for every patient already setup in every room. Enough blankets and pillows for all the patients...those are two big pet peeves.

There have been several posts recently about this subject, you might want to search back and get some answers from there!

[Moho]

WOW! What would one do with such empowerment? I would first make the facility attractive, clean, promising, user friendly by using inputs obtained through staff surveys, and gather excellent physicians (possibly pay their malpractice insc.) this would be a plus during this decade. Next I would make sure that the facility would maintain diagnosis that belong with each other (ie. not mixing newborns and their moms with 78 year old females that yell all day and all night and did I say total care?). It would be nice to actually visit a hospital to see a new mom and baby and not have to journey through all the hallways of severely sick contagious people. I would keep surgery with surgeries and not have a 6 month old RSV across the hallway. There would be so much planning and so much enjoyment to build, but a headache to maintain. I would empower strong financial wizards to keep afloat and an excellent team to maintain the facility that would stay in continuous working conditions that met all the codes needed. Update as needed. Then there's the food issue. Good food around the clock for staff and all, etc.. The most important thing would be to find staff that would love their jobs and plan to stay for some time. And to do that, one needs to make the work environment meaningful and safe, inticing and friendly. Did I mention compitative WAGES? This is just some of my headaches I deal with every day, and I would love to make so many changes in my facility, but just a peon!!!

Moho

[Shellsie]

there is hope! for Meditech nursing module anyways...there is something called CMI (clinical monitoring interface) where the monitors in areas like icu, or and pacu will automatically download the vitals into the computer. all the nurse has to do is verify its a real vital and not the "fake ones" that get taken when the cuff slides down around the patients hand or their leads are off. :)

[Roland]

How about SHOWERS so that the nurses could clean up before leaving the facility (for all I know the Dr's already have this!). As a student nurse there's nothing worse than driving home smelling like old, butts!

[SmilingBluEyes]

I would hire the smartest nurses there were to design the place to be NURSE friendly, for a change. Yes, it could be done

smarter

cheaper

better

[warrior woman]

I would hire the smartest nurses there were to design the place to be NURSE friendly, for a change. Yes, it could be done

smarter

cheaper

better

I totally agree Deb, and to that end, there should be a tube system that should connect all departments throughout the hospital. And guaranteed retirement bennies. Plus video and computer inservices instead of boring lectures where your ears fall off. Plus a lot of windows to let some light in the place, so that it doen't give such an institutional feel. Plus a 1 HOUR LUNCH PERIOD!!! Plus individual carrels to do your charting!!! You could have your own space, and still obey HIPPA!!

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

WW I like how you think. In fact I was on a committee that developed the Video Inservice. You had to have stuff like Fire and infection control. So we had all the mandatory training lectures taped. You just checked it out at the library and then took a short written test when you turned it in. They had like 30 copies so no one had to wait.

A tube system is marvelous. I hven't ever worked at a hospital that didn't have one.