October 27, 2016

The Scoop

Feedback Welcome!

We understand that everyone is inundated with hundreds of emails on a weekly basis and only want to take up your valuable inbox space with news and information that adds value to your work and is of interest to you. To that end, we are continually working to improve the value of this bimonthly newsletter and bring you resources not only from The Center for Health Design about our activities but also news from other sources around our industry you might have missed.

I welcome your feedback on how we can make this newsletter most useful to you.  Do you want us to focus more on Center activities or the general industry, or do you like a mix? Do you like the link to Center tools and resources on topics that potentially impact your work? Is there something missing that we should be including?

Drop me an email with your thoughts. We can only get better with constant feedback from you so my email box is always open.  If you have something to share, drop me a note at dlevin@healthdesign.org. I’d love to hear from you. 

Be well,

Debra Levin, EDAC
President and CEO

Six Contributing Factors to Patient Falls and How to Address Them

Preventing patient falls is a pain point for many hospitals. But, a report released  by the American Hospital Association's Health Research & Educational Trust offers five hospital case studies that may help others to reduce falls.

The report, "Preventing Patient Falls: A Systematic Approach from the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare Project", saw seven U.S. hospitals use a “robust process improvement approach” consisting of tools from Lean Six Sigma as well as change management methodologies to reduce falls with injury on pilot units within their facilities.

Five of the seven hospitals submitted data from the project and, on average, the organizations reduced the falls with injury rate by 62 percent, which was accompanied by a 35 percent reduction in the overall falls rate. If the robust process approach is applied to a typical 200-bed hospital, staff can expect 72 fewer injuries and $1 million in costs saved, the report states.  Hospitals & Health Networks, more...

Health Care Systems Find that Smaller Hospitals Meet the Mission 

To commemorate one year of operation, SCL Health, Broomfield, Colo., just celebrated the anniversary of its new community hospital in Westminster, Colo., with families from nearby communities. This was not just any community hospital, but a microhospital, an example of a growing trend for health systems trying to bring fast, comprehensive lower-acuity treatment to the community in an affordable way.

Going small is a strategy that some health systems are utilizing in a few states in the West and Southwest so far, with at least one system in the Midwest about to follow suit. The system plans to open three more microhospitals in the Denver area in addition to the one celebrating its first anniversary, and Mike Slubowski, president and CEO, believes microhospitals have a role in health care.

“It definitely is a trend, among many trends occurring in health care, to create more accessible, cost-effective access points and alternative delivery models,” he says.

Though no two facilities are alike, the small-scale, fully licensed inpatient facilities range from 15,000 to 50,000 square feet and are open daily around the clock. They generally house eight to 10 inpatient beds and include a similar number of emergency treatment and triage rooms, along with primary and specialty care physicians and other outpatient clinical services located in the same building. Hospital stays longer than 48 hours are sent to higher-acuity settings. Health Facilities Management, more...

Interior Designers Understand Value of Health, Wellness in Built Environment

The  American Society of Interior Designers was a featured research partner in the new SmartMarket Report by Dodge Data & Analytics. “The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings 2016: Tactical Intelligence to Transform Building Design and Construction SmartMarket Report” reveals that the business benefits of healthier buildings are driving increased attention across the design and construction industry to factors that impact physical health, social health, mental health and well-being, and are leading building owners, developers, managers and investors to an increased interest in creating healthier buildings.

ASID assisted in crafting the survey used to collect data for the report and played a key role in distributing the survey to the Society’s interior designer members. Health, wellness and well-being in the built environment are central to the ASID mission.

Information revealed in the SmartMarket report shows that the interior design community is at the forefront of acknowledging the importance of creating healthier buildings and environments, with interior designers and architects credited with leading the industry in the use of healthy building practices. Additionally, interior designers were found to be in alignment with owners’ goals for “happier and healthier building occupants.”  Medical Constuction & Design, more...

Health Care Design Caters to Autism Spectrum Disorder

More and more people are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For health care construction and design professionals, this means that a greater understanding of the special requirements of this growing patient demographic is needed to create spaces that are optimized to their wellbeing.

Special Design Requirements

Many autistic children are highly sensitive to the sight, sound and feel of their environment. Therefore, autism-friendly spaces need to pay close attention to texture, uniformity, acoustics and lighting conditions.

For ASD patients, designers should consider ways to eliminate excess noise that can be distracting and create a sensory overload for the patient. Therefore, window and door solutions need to have sound-dampening capabilities. Good observation is required to allow staff to readily monitor patients without them feeling infringed. Personal space and privacy are essential to many ASD patients. Care should be taken to reduce any sounds, rattles and related noises. This eliminates blinds, curtains and exterior shades as privacy solutions. Insulation from other noises in the environment is important for similar reasons.

Indirect lighting should be used, and lighting needs to be adjustable to ensure protection from over-bright lights and glare, both of which can be distressing to ASD patients. Emphasis should be placed on natural lighting. Uniformity of textures and design can help create a soothingly consistent environment. Design elements should be simple and familiar, both in terms of reduction in detail and palette of materials, as ASD patients can get distracted or absorbed in minutiae. HC+O News, more...
 

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