A better hospital eventually translates to better healthcare; the healthcare system is undergoing certain changes so that they can meet the ever-changing requirements of the patients. When a hospital construction company undertakes a task, it becomes absolutely imperative to follow certain guidelines, because unlike any other project, renovation or construction of a hospital demands more attention. As more and more providers are looking for value-based care, they are looking for smarter ways to redesign their facilities, but also re-engineer the workflow to improve the journey of the patients.
Before the construction or renovation starts, they should think about the following
- How to make better use of the space, more flexible spaces should be incorporated so that they are multi-functional
- Take care of your hospitals, because an improved facility means greater care and better service.
- Think of privacy when you consider the design; a flexible system which cater to workflow challenges and yet retain the privacy of patients.
- Design a system where the experience of the visitors will matter.
1. Think of your plan
Talk to your hospital construction contractors, about the needs, demographics, wants and goals of the facility. Check the existing programs and facilities and think of ways to better them. Always remember that the construction is not just about now, you should have a detailed vision of how it will be in the future. So talk to your builder about the plan, and see if they understand your goals.
2. Make your patient’s experience worthwhile
The experience of the outpatient treatment should be such, so that the patients find the impetus to come back to the hospital again. The comforts and facilities provided in the outpatient unit should be as good as the in-house services. You can have a thorough discussion with the hospital construction contractors about your various needs and requirements.
3. Putting the nurse station at the centre
It is always good to put the nurse station close to the bedside. It helps the nurses to respond quickly to call and emergencies without any disruption to the workflow. In fact new units are now designed in such a manner so that the nurse station is just adjacent to the rooms.
4. Think about the staffing system
Consult with your hospital construction contractors and find out whether the staffing model collaborates with the needs of the patients. You must understand the workflow challenges to understand where you should improve your staffing system and make some changes in the design to help your patients.
5. Interviewing the staff to understand the system better
Experience speaks; you should speak to the staff, doctors, nurses and people who are part of the facility to understand the requirements. Close intently to what they have to say to make a system better. Often the best ideas for renovation or construction come from the staff themselves.
6. Take note of privacy
By creating a smooth masterplan which will effectively reduce or simply lessen the challenges of the day-to-day facility, you cannot overlook an integral component of the hospitals. As builder, it becomes imperative to take note of privacy while you create the design. The design should be flexible, but should not compromise on privacy.
7. Think about automated notifications
It is essential that the critical care team should have a flawless co-ordination at times of emergencies. Think about ways to reduce the administrative paraphernalia like sending EMR messages, emails or get urgent updates. You can talk to your contractors to find an easy solution for implement new technologies to automate the system.
8. Thinking about expansion plans
As it is stated earlier, you simply do not make your hospitals for now; you plan for the future. You must be prepared for it; talk to your builders so that system designs can be expanded later without any hassele.
