Our elderly population continues to grow at a significant rate. According to the United States, the 65-and-older population increased by 34.2 percent in the period between 2010 and 2019. Furthermore, it grew by 3.2 percent from 2018 to 2019. As a result, the country needs more medical facilities to care for these individuals who are living longer. Many suffer from chronic medical conditions that require ongoing care, and they need somewhere to access it. This is where medical construction firms come into the picture.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 85.6 percent of individuals over the age of 65 have at least one chronic medical condition. Almost a quarter of this population suffers from three or more chronic conditions. This leads to the need for more medical care, more medical professionals, and facilities where patients may receive care. Concrete contractors at FraserCon recognize this and work with individuals and entities in need of a new medical care facility. What makes medical building construction unique?
The Unique Nature of Medical Building Construction
Medical facilities exist everywhere one turns in most parts of the country. Although these facilities may differ in a variety of ways, they share certain characteristics. These characteristics address the unique issues, regulations, and challenges seen in the medical community. This includes the structure of the building, the design, and requirements.
Requirements
Medical treatments come in many forms. One individual might need radiation to treat their cancer while another requires surgery to remove gallstones. Healthcare organizations are striving to deliver this care in a cost-efficient manner, and this goal has led to the creation of different facility types. As hospital inpatient use continues to decline, outpatient surgery centers, independent medical imaging facilities, and standalone cancer care centers among others are coming to the forefront.
Every medical building comes with its own requirements. An assisted living facility needs different things than a standalone emergency room, and the architect must take this into consideration when designing a new building. To ensure this is the case, the medical professionals requiring a new building must meet with the architect and builder to create a detailed pre-construction plan based on the goals of those working in the building. During this meeting, the team needs to determine what they require in the building to allow for the delivery of effective and timely care.
The builder and architect need to ensure the space within the facility remains flexible. It must be able to accommodate changing technology and the needs of the patients being seen. For instance, the building must adapt to new equipment technologies, different treatment methodologies, and the changing demographics of patients. This remains true whether the medical team is requesting a satellite facility or special-care unit. All medical facilities must be constructed with flexibility as a key goal.
Healthcare facilities need to emphasize cleanliness to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. In the past, many hospitals and physician offices came with white walls and a white floor to ensure any dirt could easily be seen and removed. Today, the medical industry recognizes the importance of presenting a pleasant and comfortable environment for patients and their loved ones.
The facility has to account for the basic functional needs of staff members and patients. However, it also needs to meet the emotional needs of patients and visitors. They are dealing with a chronic illness that may lead to uncertainty and stress. Furthermore, they remain dependent on the medical professionals working inside the facility to help them address these conditions. The right facility design goes a long way in providing comfort to them during a difficult time.
Regulatory Standards
Each state established standards and regulations regarding medical buildings. A medical construction company must adhere to all technical and regulatory requirements and the design and construction of the building has to remain in compliance with all standards. For this reason, anyone requesting the construction of a medical facility must work with a company that handles this task regularly to ensure problems don’t arise during the process.
The facility should incorporate resiliency planning in the design process, especially in those areas prone to natural disasters. Another consideration during the design process involves the type of medical facility being constructed. For example, the International Building Code must be followed when designing any business-use structure.
However, a medical outpatient facility must also comply with the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) “Guidelines for Design and Construction for Outpatient Facilities” under current law. Hospitals have their own set of guidelines as do residential health, care, and support facilities. These guidelines address areas such as minimum room sizes and requirements for plumbing fixtures as well as safety measures. The requirements add to the cost of the facility. Regardless of which type of building is being established, the construction team must adhere to the guidelines at every stage of the process.
Additionally, the facility must protect the security and privacy of protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act of 1996, more commonly referred to as HIPAA. Acoustic and visual privacy fall under these regulations and could impact workstation location and layout in areas where medical records and patient information are stored.
Finally, sustainability plays a role in healthcare facility design. Daylighting, non-toxic materials, and water conservation serve as three areas where building design comes into play. Every healthcare facility must comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 along with Executive Order 13693 when it comes to conserving energy and water. Furthermore, they must adhere to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Patient Safety
The National Institutes of Health reports the construction of a medical building plays a key role in patient safety. As a result, every healthcare facility must be designed with this as a priority. In the past, safety issues weren’t a major concern and problems arose as a result. Today, changes are being made to protect all who visit or work in the building.
Assistive devices become of great help in preventing patient falls. They should become an integral part of the building design, and the same holds for clearly marked signs to direct individuals where they need to go. Any delay in care could have disastrous consequences, and clear signage helps to reduce this concern.
The spread of infection remains a concern, with the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrating how much people don’t know about new diseases. Healthcare facilities need to incorporate filtration and ventilation systems that will stop infections from making their way throughout the entire facility. Surfaces must be easy to clean and decontaminate to ensure germs don’t transfer from a patient to a medical provider or other patients making use of the same space throughout the day.
Hand washing stations help with this goal and should be placed in various locations throughout the facility. When this isn’t possible, offer alcohol hand rubs as an alternative.
Healthcare often involves the coordination of different departments. Facilities need to consider this during the design process and ensure workspaces and processes are located to facilitate the delivery of care.
Medical errors need to be eliminated and the building design process may be of help here as well. Device alarms become of great help in preventing mistakes. Furthermore, staff members need access to labels so all medications can be easily identified. Ensure the building design accounts for measures such as these and makes it easy to hear device alarms or provides areas for labels to be easily accessible when needed. These are only two of countless examples of how building design measures can reduce medical errors and provide patients with a higher level of care.
Facility Flow
When designing a healthcare facility, architects and builders need to take into consideration the patients that will use the building. The waiting room should provide ample space for different activities, such as checking in and waiting to be seen. Walkways and intersections need to be labeled, so patients don’t become lost or injured.
The building design serves as a series of connected functions. Make certain each function flows from the others. For instance, the patient may move from the waiting room to a treatment room. After being seen by the doctor, they might visit the pharmacy in the building before checking out. Make certain they can move in a continuous flow from one area to the next. Doing so ensures they complete the tasks without difficulty.
As healthcare needs continue to increase in America, medical construction projects need to adapt. In fact, the facility appears to play a role in a patient’s perception of the care they receive and their overall satisfaction. Furthermore, the proper facility design increases nurse satisfaction, which also plays a role in patient care.
With the right building design, safety and quality improve leading to an improvement in patient outcomes. This design promotes healing while reducing costs. In fact, building or remodeling projects that incorporate design evidence focused on patient safety save the organization money. Revenues aren’t adversely impacted. Standardization helps to keep costs down, even as certain elements cost more, such as HEPA filters. Overall, however, the cost of healthcare building design is overcome by the improved patient care and overall satisfaction of those using the building.