SynergyHealth’s new
Exterior: The hospital is just south of town in a relatively rural setting bordering the freeway.
The front entrance is on the side facing away from the freeway.
The end of the building is equipped with an ambulance garage so that arrivals in winter are not subjected to the weather.
Public Areas:
The lobby and public waiting areas are very nicely appointed. The display in the background honors all the contributors to the process of designing a hospital from the ground up for patient safety.
The central plaque above the two sets of hand imprinted tiles reads as follows:
August 2003, a special hand-imprint ceremony was held to celebrate the efforts of those who participated in the design along with those who provided support for this nationally recognized hospital. Hands convey teamwork, caring, and trust. Hands hold, protect, nurture and bring quiet and peace. Patient safety is in everyone’s hand. May this new hospital – the work of all our hands – provide renewed comfort and health for our patients in a safe and healing environment.
“O Great Impressionist, as we impress our hands in the formation of these cement blocks, may your life-giving spirit impress your ways upon our hearts. Give life, energy, direction, perseverance and safety to all those whose hands have or will touch this project.”
Sister Donna Seigel, OSF Chaplain – Hands Ceremony 8/12/2003
Additional hand imprints are to be seen throughout the facility as shown below:
Patients in the public waiting area were called back for treatment using a pager system typical in restaurants. The “patient centered-ness” was also evident from the signs throughout the waiting area that indicated a typical wait should not exceed 15 minutes.
Noise and Infection
Control Infrastructure:
The building is designed to be clean and quiet. Clean because it is equipped with heppa-filters, disinfectant UV lighting, and carefully designed air flows. Quiet because most rooms are separated by double walls with an air space in between. John Reiling called my attention to a fan in a waiting area that I could hear. He said it was in need of repair because you should not be able to hear it. He reported patient room sound levels around 35 decibels. Carpet is used extensively for noise dampening. Tile floors are rubber. The windows are triple glazed. The blinds are in between the first two pains of glass to avoid dust accumulation. As we looked out the cafeteria window at the heavy equipment operating outside, they could barely be heard. They are starting to build a medical office complex.
The MRI suite is equipped with triple walls. The MRI could not be heard in the hall.
Patient Rooms:
The head wall of all patient rooms is standardized.
Storage for each room is also standardized and a sticker is used to indicate when fully stocked cabinets have been opened and need to be checked and possibly restocked.
A variety of other amenities and features have been provided. Each Patient room is equipped with a COW (Computer On Wheels). This may be used by hospital staff or when free by patients to send emails etc. Overhead is an attachment for a lift so nurses need not strain or slip when lifting patients.
Even the phlebotomist has a dedicated fold out-of-the-way work area. In the photo below right, the phlebotomist work area is closed and is just to the left of the curtain.
Every patient room in the hospital is equipped with a sink that is in view of the patient. Patients are told “It’s OK to ask” to insure staff members wash their hands.
Notice that the room has two doors. The solid door leads to the hall it is about 4 feet wide with a second 1 foot wide door. When both are opened, it is a BIG opening.
The smaller door with the window leads to the nurse’s alcove. The alcove replaces the typical hospital’s nursing station and encourages nurses to complete any care tasks and documentation before moving on. Supplies are available in the cabinets and the computer is used to do electronic charting. The window allows the nurse to look at the patient while documenting care.
John Reiling spoke to me through one of these alcove doors. I could hardly hear him.
The family of patients’ are encouraged to stay with the patient and to participate in insuring that proper care is given. A couch that turns into a bed is provided along with a small amount of storage and work area. All the clocks are atomic. They synchronize themselves by satellite signal.
The overhead lighting was selected to be as close to natural lighting as possible.
The bed can also be lowered to 18 inches to reduce fall risk.
The bathroom is located in the head wall with a hand rail that leads from the bed to every part of the bathroom.
The lower right photo above is bed pan storage.
The Intensive Care
Unit:
The ICU is located along the curved back of the building. It is engineered so that you can see every patient’s face if are in the work area at left. It therefore should be called the “I see you ICU.” Being able to see patients as you care for them and document that care was considered so important that the only exception to room standardization in the whole hospital occurs here. The last two rooms had to be rotated so that the patients’ head could be seen.
Based on my observations, all the good ideas and attention to detail described in the published articles on this hospital are, in fact, evident in the finished facility. The projected was completed on-time and within budget. The budget had been determined before the patient safety aspects became central to the planning process, so the net cost of the enhancements to patient safety was zero. All of it was accomplished using the original budget. JG