Project Vision
Our vision is to advance healthcare by drawing on strong community partnerships that will enable us to bring a unique and nationally-recognized healthcare campus to Paulding County. The new facility will:
• create a foundation for advanced medical technologies and more efficient and integrated medicine;
• create a new platform for medical sub-specialties – bringing more physicians and specialized nurses to the County;
• create a holistic and natural healing environment through evidence-based design.
With these advances, the new Paulding Hospital will be a true stepping stone for the community and a cutting-edge 21st century healthcare campus. The Paulding facility will be among will be one of only 63 other Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects in Georgia with Silver Certification. The new hospital will offer solutions to the most pressing problems in healthcare delivery and provide an influx of new healthcare jobs and expertise that will have positive and far-reaching effects.
Project Description
The Wellstar Paulding Hospital campus will become the center for wellness and support for Paulding county. A 262,857 SF diagnostic and treatment chassis and bed tower will provide a center for surgical excellence, an ED for adults and children, a Diagnostic center, and 100 Inpatient beds. A four story atrium will provide a common entry point to a new 80K sf MOB, an existing 80K sf MOB and the new Hospital Structure. As our community enters the atrium, bathed in natural light, a concourse will provide convenient access to the separate and unique service lines within the hospital.
From the landscaping to the design of the operating suites and patient rooms, every element of this hospital has been well-researched to make WellStar Paulding a Southeastern landmark and a true destination for wellness. Our vision to build the most advanced hospital focused on three critical areas supported by Evidence-Based Design: Clinical Excellence, Innovation and Efficiency, and Safety.
In addition to providing a replacement medical facility that will attract the best and most motivated physicians, WellStar Paulding will be a foundation from which more medical subspecialties can be established. The hospital will showcase features such as a no-wait emergency department, superior surgical suites and a full range of diagnostic imaging such as MRI, CT, Nuclear Medicine, Ultrasound, Mammography, and Fluoroscopy. Radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer will also be available.
Research:
Interruptions that occur during medication administration processes such as conversations with other staff, family members, or physician can result in clinical errors. It is necessary to assess current medication administration work flow and institute changes to decrease interruptions. Redesigning the workplace may achieve this goal (Pape, Guerra, & Muzquiz, 2005). The current process at Wellstar consists of accessing and preparing medication in a central room and then transporting the medication to the patient’s room to administer. This process is prone to interruptions and can be time consuming due to process flow issues such as staying in line at the centrally located medication cabinet to obtain medications. The primary goals of the research study at Wellstar include: (1) to record the number of interruptions that occur during the medication administration process; (2) to record the amount of time that is spent on the medication administration process; (3) to implement a wall mounted cabinet that can store medication closer to the patient; (4) to evaluate the impact of moving medication closer to the patient.
To capture both nurse perceptions and actual data regarding the medication administration process, it was decided to perform the research study in two phases: a qualitative survey phase and a quantitative time-study phase. The qualitative phase of the research study would involve a survey administered to nursing staff both before and after the installation of the bedside medication wall units. In this research study, an interruption will be defined as any disruption in the workflow process of a nurse administering medication to a patient. Interruptions will be categorized as one of four types: patient care, pharmacy, unit staff, and other. These interruptions will be coded and tracked along with the time series data to assess frequency and possible trends.
Publications:
- Haller, W., & Hogue, V. (2011). Fast-track treatment in the emergency room. Healthcare Design,11(1), 22–24. “Implementing a fast-track process can reduce the overall length of a patient's stay in the emergency department and increase both patient and staff satisfaction.”