Article2006

A Decade of Adult Intensive Care Unit Design

109 citations0/0 files storedCritical Care Nursing Quarterly

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Healthcare Facilities Design and Sustainability Healthcare Quality and Management Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units

Abstract

This article reports a study of the physical design characteristics of a set of adult intensive care units (ICUs), built between 1993 and 2003. These ICUs were recognized as the best-practice examples by the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the American Institute of Architects. This study is based on a systematic analysis of the materials found on these ICUs in the booklet and videos jointly published by the above organizations in 2005. The study finds that most of these examples of best-practice adult ICUs have the following negative characteristics: (1) they are built as renovation projects with more health and safety hazards during construction; (2) most of them are mixed-service units with more safety and staffing problems; (3) the overall layout and the layout of staff work areas in these ICUs do not have any common design solutions for improved patient and staff outcomes; and (4) in these ICUs, family space is often located outside the unit, and family access to the patient room is restricted, even though family presence at the bedside may be important for improved patient outcomes. Some of these negative characteristics are offset by the following positive characteristics in most ICUs: (1) they have only private patient rooms for improved patient care, safety, privacy, and comfort; (2) most patient beds are freestanding for easy access to patients from all sides; (3) they have handwashing sinks and waste disposal facilities in the patient room for improved safety; and (4) most patient rooms have natural light to help patients with circadian rhythms. The article discusses, in detail, the implications of its findings, and the role of the ICU design community in a very complicated design context.

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References

2004The Role of the Physical Environment in the Hospital of the 21 st Century: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity 1991Effects of interior design on wellness: theory and recent scientific research.1998Windows in the Workplace 2005Advantages and Disadvantages of Single-Versus Multiple-Occupancy Rooms in Acute Care Environments

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2011Fable Hospital 2.0: The Business Case for Building Better Health Care Facilities 2010Relationship Between ICU Design and Mortality 2008Inpatient Unit Flexibility 2014Innovative Designs for the Smart ICU 2010Impact of Hospital Unit Design for Patient-Centered Care on Nurses’ Behavior 2012Patients and Their Families Weigh in on Evidence-Based Hospital Design 2013Two Decades (1993-2012) of Adult Intensive Care Unit Design 2009Designing Health Care Environments: Part I. Basic Concepts, Principles, and Issues Related to Evidence-Based Design

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