Who designs the layouts of these hospitals anyway??!!

[Forest2]

It has occurred to me that hospitals are often not designed with the nurse in mind. I have worked on units where the medications were kept on another unit. I have worked where you had to prepare your medications on a keyboard (no joke) because there was no other place to do it. I have worked where you had to walk long distances to get to the nurses station and break rooms are on the other side of the building. I have worked where everything that you need from medications, to trash, to needle boxes, to light switches are located differently in each room. Absolutely no consistency at all. Why don't they create ways for nurses to conserve energy so that we are more able to function at peak levels? So what gives?

Manufacturing seems to have accomplished the task of helping workers become as efficient as possible by creating atmospheres where less energy is required to accomplish more. Why hasn't this taken place in nursing and the design of hospitals? Is it because many hospitals are designed piecemeal with each addition? What about new hospitals? A relative complained that the new hospital where they were employed was "horrible" and "you just walk your legs off". What do you think about it?

[SmilingBluEyes]

Not just the hospital. It's all over. IF nurses WERE valued a lot of things would be different (like uniformly safer staffing). Sorry to sound negative, but it's the truth.

[RNperdiem, RN]

My part of the hospital was designed for a different time.

It was designed before gloves were common, so the glove boxes are in a different place in every room. Sharps boxes became mandatory, so now they needed to find a place in every room to stick a sharps box, like gloves, in a different spot to make each room individual. The rooms run small, so bariatric beds are a bit of a squeeze, especially if you need to fit in other equipment. The unit was built during very restricted "visiting hours", so the rooms have little place to fit visitors with our more open visitation policy. At least we have actual patient rooms, some of the unrenovated units have curtains between the beds instead of rooms. Semi private rooms still live on in other floors.

Another way to tell an older part of the hospital is that the patient rooms are all in hallways and the hallways are part of the pedestrian corridor to get from one part of the hospital to another. There is a lot of foot traffic in patient areas.

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

At my current facility, the trash can and soiled linen can are under the countertop next to the sink. That means you have to pull the trash can or linen can out from under the counter in order to actually utilize it. Definitely one of the worst design flaws I've seen in all my years.

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

Back in the 80's I worked in a hospital that was based on the renaissance hospital concept of a triangular building. All the patient rooms faced the outside and the nursing work areas situated closer to the middle of the building so that med rooms , laundry, etc were shared by the units in the core. Cut down on distances walked. An idea centuries old:(

[GSDlvrRN, MSN]

9 hours ago, RNperdiem said:

The rooms run small, so bariatric beds are a bit of a squeeze, especially if you need to fit in other equipment.

Other equipment meaning IV poles, work stations on wheels, bipap, suction, commode, high flow oxygen, LVADs, chest tubes, and bedside tables!!!!!

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

22 hours ago, TriciaJ said:

So she sucked at being a nurse and an interior designer. So nice to be multi-talented.

multi-non-talented

[Barb(Old Biddy), ADN]

The new hospital in my area has peds and OB/L&D on same floor, so we have sick kids riding the same elevator as people going to OB/L&D.

[skylark, BSN, RN]

Two points.

Firstly, European hospitals built by Dutch designers make so much more sense. I don't know whether they consult nurses or just observe and use common sense, but somehow they get it right.

Second, my all time favorite design fail was a Level 1 Trauma facility built about 15 years ago.

Helipad on the roof, with a shelter for receiving staff so they don't get rained on or blown away. They even had a locker intended to hold a supply of bottled water and bananas replenished daily, so you could snack in those last few seconds as it came into land, knowing it was going to be hours until your next break. Beautiful.

But its never been used because some total dingbat of an architect provided stairs only and no elevator up to the roof. His reason was that there are no handicap staff work in ER. When we finally got to meet this genius and ask how we were supposed to get the patient down from the roof, I have never seen the color drain out if anyone's face so fast!

[mindofmidwifery, ADN]

I was told that a unit at my facility was designed by the wife of the man who sponsored it.

[LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP]

I've worked on two brand new units (both as they opened) and both had input from nursing, but there were issues with each, some hilarious.

Hosp #1 was funny because it had this whole thing set up so you could empty the trash from outside the room via these little doors. Except the trash cans didn't fit LOL Overall though, it was a fairly nicely designed unit. It didn't have a lot of space for providers to work and the conference room was pretty small I think.

Hosp #2 Brand new too and....definitely more problems. Lots of things that don't quite function as intended. Not enough desk spaces for nurses or providers, or really anyone else.

That's my biggest complaint. Even if it was just desks we had to share, having an office to go into to preround and work in the afternoon a little bit away from the chaos is incredibly helpful to concentration. I miss having a little area to hang up pictures/notes/etc.

ETA: and parking spaces for the WOWs/COWs. They really need to plan a place to store those!

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

It's not just hospitals affected. I work in a SNF that was I believe initially built in the late '60's. It has seen several remodels of the interior over the years. The biggest interior change has been a move from 3, yes 3 beds in a room to 2. What they never did was re-arrange any equipment in the rooms so all the outlets, call lights, closets and even bed curtain dividers are still set up for a 3 bed room. It's interesting to say the least figuring out where to plug something in or how to arrange the furniture to allow each resident somewhat equal space.

[Forest2]

21 hours ago, skylark said:

Two points.

Firstly, European hospitals built by Dutch designers make so much more sense. I don't know whether they consult nurses or just observe and use common sense, but somehow they get it right.

Second, my all time favorite design fail was a Level 1 Trauma facility built about 15 years ago.

Helipad on the roof, with a shelter for receiving staff so they don't get rained on or blown away. They even had a locker intended to hold a supply of bottled water and bananas replenished daily, so you could snack in those last few seconds as it came into land, knowing it was going to be hours until your next break. Beautiful.

But its never been used because some total dingbat of an architect provided stairs only and no elevator up to the roof. His reason was that there are no handicap staff work in ER. When we finally got to meet this genius and ask how we were supposed to get the patient down from the roof, I have never seen the color drain out if anyone's face so fast!

That is so funny. I would like to see people like that be financially responsible for their dumb ideas.