suggestions for new unit?

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Hi all. We are in the early planning stages for a new women's hospital/birthing center. Anyone have any wonderful ideas for things to include or not include? Experience is usually the best advisor....Gail

We just opened our new unit last fall. It is a level III unit, with antepartum, postpartum, and L&D wings. The families love the small fridge, vcr/dvd/stereo players. There is a sofa/day bed for the dads. The rooms are large to accomodate the multiple family members. The bathrooms are all large enough for easy wheelchair access to the toilet, and jacousi tubs in most rooms. In the antepartum wing, there is a room with washer/dryer and kitchenette for the families to use. The triage area has only 3 separate rooms, and we should have put in 5-6 for the volume of patients we see.

In L&D, the closet holds the IV poles and delivery carts stocked with supplies needed in a typical labor/delivery. There is an alcove for the radiant warmer in each room with its own separate O2/suction and emergency call button for the NICU to come running in a code. There is internet access in the rooms as well. We should have put in more cell phone signal wires in the the structure of the building as there are many dead spaces where the cells don't work (frustrating for families and doctors). The light drops from the ceiling (but is about 2 inches too high for any nurses to pull down/replace. Linen/garbage containers are in a cupboard with easy access (just open the doors and roll them out.

Post-partum has special sinks that are shaped into a baby bath, so the baths are done in the room. (Corian counters, I think). That is all I can think of for now. We did pay for the bidet things, but they have never been used.

We have quiet family waiting rooms and a big busy one with TV, toys for the kids, kitchenette, and bathroom. We should have put an ice machine with easy access to the families. Ours are all in our locked rooms with the meds/supplies. Dumb!

Great suggestions----I'm scribbling furiously! Gail

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I don't know if what we have is considered a high volume L&D. It has 12 beds.

where in NH are you? I'm in NH and none of the hospitals I know of have "cow rooms" anymore, how awful! We have private triage rooms- actually I guess they are technically considered semi-private since two rooms share a bathroom.

Our unit is getting a "face lift" sometime in the nearish future, and the unit will be getting made over with some minor redesigns and the rooms with some perks like mini-fridges, maybe nicer sleeper chairs/cots/beds something for dad/family member but no big changes like tubs in each room :( . They were very good about asking both the nursing staff and the MDs/midwives for suggestions and input, and we were actually scheduled for our "makeover" this year- but because the staff and providers so completely rejected the architects' plans, we got bumped till next year "at the earliest"

Oh well, we're fine with that, we'd rather wait and have them come up with something we can WORK with!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

12beds? Nope not a high-volume unit to me. hmmm

sorry, but I don't understand the open bay triage concept in smaller hospitals. I know the large military hospital near me has these sorts of rooms, however. But they are a larger-volume unit.

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Specializes in OB, lactation.
We triage our patients in our private LDRP rooms, so there is no such thing as a "cow room" where I am. Must be a larger hospital thing????

I just finished my OB rotation at a mid-sized unit (at least I think it's mid-sized; they have about 20 rooms that are usually mostly full) - they have a "cow" triage with four beds.

The unit is pretty nice for the most part though, most rooms have jacuzzis and they were used a couple times in my short stint there. The rooms are a good size too.

The baby bath sink sounds cool! The drop down light sounds cool too (you meant a light for delivery, like a sugical light right? - we had to drag one in from the store room and then it's in the way in the middle of the floor.)

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where in NH are you? I'm in NH and none of the hospitals I know of have "cow rooms" anymore, how awful! We have private triage rooms- actually I guess they are technically considered semi-private since two rooms share a bathroom.

Our unit is getting a "face lift" sometime in the nearish future, and the unit will be getting made over with some minor redesigns and the rooms with some perks like mini-fridges, maybe nicer sleeper chairs/cots/beds something for dad/family member but no big changes like tubs in each room :( . They were very good about asking both the nursing staff and the MDs/midwives for suggestions and input, and we were actually scheduled for our "makeover" this year- but because the staff and providers so completely rejected the architects' plans, we got bumped till next year "at the earliest"

Oh well, we're fine with that, we'd rather wait and have them come up with something we can WORK with!

Nashua NH's SNHMC as of 01/20/04 that was how it was set up and I had to stay in there with 4 other women for approx 6 hrs because there were no avail. beds

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12beds? Nope not a high-volume unit to me. hmmm

sorry, but I don't understand the open bay triage concept in smaller hospitals. I know the large military hospital near me has these sorts of rooms, however. But they are a larger-volume unit.

One large, level III nearby uses the "ward" type of triage--4 stretchers per room with a curtain between them. Their logic? Move them through quickly and don't make it too comfortable for the frequent flyers who just want to be admitted and induced for their convenience and/or comfort. There are also no TVs or comfortable chairs for SO. If someone needs to be admitted, they are put into a room ASAP.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
One large, level III nearby uses the "ward" type of triage--4 stretchers per room with a curtain between them. Their logic? Move them through quickly and don't make it too comfortable for the frequent flyers who just want to be admitted and induced for their convenience and/or comfort. There are also no TVs or comfortable chairs for SO. If someone needs to be admitted, they are put into a room ASAP.

yuck.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

How "bout you forgo all the fancy architecture and decorating and negotiate 1:1 staffing instead?

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How "bout you forgo all the fancy architecture and decorating and negotiate 1:1 staffing instead?

Actually, I can't complain about staffing--they are great here. As soon as a patient starts getting active, we go one on one. And, there are generally floats available to assist at del. time or to go to the OR. When I started there, I told them all how "spoiled" they are! Gail

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There's lots of evidence out there in the literature about the benefits having mum and baby stay in the same room for the entire stay!

I had a coupld of day placement in an L&D where they had cupboards with basic supplies, the neat thing was was that they could be stocked from outside the room to provide privacy for the patients.....

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Specializes in OB.

We are in a newer unit (about a year old) and after years of planning, the unit looks great but it is harder to run, and triage is a disaster! Our biggest proplem is that we went form 13 bed unit to 17 bed unit, almost doubled our volume of pt's and have the same staff! we are being worked to death sometimes, MD's CNM's and RN's are all running thier tails off. Trust has been lost beween RN's and MD's and there have been many meltdowns. We are now working on our issues in weekly focus groups.

So the new unit may be exciting, it may be fancy and up to date, but if you don't take the time to structure the staff around the new unit it will fail! Take the time to decide how the unit will run in it's new space, and not so much on how it will look!

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