ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The hospital's physical environment can impact health and well-being. Patients spend most of their time in their hospital rooms. However, little experimental evidence supports specific physical design variables in these rooms, particularly for people poststroke. The study aimed to explore the influence of patient room design variables modeled in virtual reality using a controlled experimental design. METHODS: Adults within 3 years of stroke who had spent >2 nights in hospital for stroke and were able to consent were included (Melbourne, Australia). Using a factorial design, we immersed participants in 16 different virtual hospital patient rooms in both daytime and nighttime conditions, systematically varying design attributes: patient room occupancy, social connectivity, room size (spaciousness), noise (nighttime), greenery outlook (daytime). While immersed, participants rated their affect (Pick-A-Mood Scale) and preference. Mixed-effect regression analyses were used to explore participant responses to design variables in both daytime and nighttime conditions. Feasibility and safety were monitored throughout. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, Trial ID: ACTRN12620000375954. RESULTS: Forty-four adults (median age, 67 [interquartile range, 57.3-73.8] years, 61.4% male, and a third with stroke in the prior 3-6 months) completed the study in 2019-2020. We recorded and analyzed 701 observations of affective responses (Pick-A-Mood Scale) in the daytime (686 at night) and 698 observations of preference responses in the daytime (685 nighttime) while continuously immersed in the virtual reality scenarios. Although single rooms were most preferred overall (daytime and nighttime), the relationship between affective responses differed in response to different combinations of nighttime noise, social connectivity, and greenery outlook (daytime). The virtual reality scenario intervention was feasible and safe for stroke participants. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate affective responses can be influenced by exposure to physical design variables other than room occupancy alone. Virtual reality testing of how the physical environment influences patient responses and, ultimately, outcomes could inform how we design new interventions for people recovering after stroke. REGISTRATION: URL: https://anzctr.org.au; Unique identifier: ACTRN12620000375954.
Subject(s)
Stroke Rehabilitation , Stroke , Virtual Reality , Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Aged , Stroke/therapy , Stroke Rehabilitation/methods , Patients' Rooms , Australia , Hospital Design and ConstructionABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Transitions to new care environments may have unexpected consequences that threaten patient safety. We undertook a quality improvement project using in situ simulation to learn the new patient care environment and expose latent safety threats before transitioning patients to a newly built adult ICU. DESIGN: Descriptive review of a patient safety initiative. SETTING: A newly built 24-bed neurocritical care unit at a tertiary care academic medical center. SUBJECTS: Care providers working in neurocritical care unit. INTERVENTIONS: We implemented a pragmatic three-stage in situ simulation program to learn a new patient care environment, transitioning patients from an open bay unit to a newly built private room-based ICU. The project tested the safety and efficiency of new workflows created by new patient- and family-centric features of the unit. We used standardized patients and high-fidelity mannequins to simulate patient scenarios, with "test" patients created through all electronic databases. Relevant personnel from clinical and nonclinical services participated in simulations and/or observed scenarios. We held a debriefing after each stage and scenario to identify safety threats and other concerns. Additional feedback was obtained via a written survey sent to all participants. We prospectively surveyed for missed latent safety threats for 2 years following the simulation and fixed issues as they arose. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified and addressed 70 latent safety threats, including issues concerning physical environment, infection prevention, patient workflow, and informatics before the move into the new unit. We also developed an orientation manual that highlighted new physical and functional features of the ICU and best practices gleaned from the simulations. All participants agreed or strongly agreed that simulations were beneficial. Two-year follow-up revealed only two missed latent safety threats. CONCLUSIONS: In situ simulation effectively identifies latent safety threats surrounding the transition to new ICUs and should be considered before moving into new units.
Subject(s)
Intensive Care Units , Patient Safety , Humans , Intensive Care Units/organization & administration , Quality Improvement/organization & administration , Simulation Training/methods , Academic Medical Centers/organization & administration , Hospital Design and ConstructionABSTRACT
A patient fall is one of the adverse events in an inpatient unit of a hospital that can lead to disability and/or mortality. The medical literature suggests that increased visibility of patients by unit nurses is essential to improve patient monitoring and, in turn, reduce falls. However, such research has been descriptive in nature and does not provide an understanding of the characteristics of an optimal inpatient unit layout from a visibility-standpoint. To fill this gap, we adopt an interdisciplinary approach that combines the human field of view with facility layout design approaches. Specifically, we propose a bi-objective optimization model that jointly determines the optimal (i) location of a nurse in a nursing station and (ii) orientation of a patient's bed in a room for a given layout. The two objectives are maximizing the total visibility of all patients across patient rooms and minimizing inequity in visibility among those patients. We consider three different layout types, L-shaped, I-shaped, and Radial; these shapes exhibit the section of an inpatient unit that a nurse oversees. To estimate visibility, we employ the ray casting algorithm to quantify the visible target in a room when viewed by the nurse from the nursing station. The algorithm considers nurses' horizontal visual field and their depth of vision. Owing to the difficulty in solving the bi-objective model, we also propose a Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) heuristic to find (near) optimal solutions. Our findings suggest that the Radial layout appears to outperform the other two layouts in terms of the visibility-based objectives. We found that with a Radial layout, there can be an improvement of up to 50% in equity measure compared to an I-shaped layout. Similar improvements were observed when compared to the L-shaped layout as well. Further, the position of the patient's bed plays a role in maximizing the visibility of the patient's room. Insights from our work will enable understanding and quantifying the relationship between a physical layout and the corresponding provider-to-patient visibility to reduce adverse events.
Subject(s)
Accidental Falls , Algorithms , Hospital Design and Construction , Hospital Units , Patients' Rooms , Humans , Hospital Design and Construction/methods , Hospital Units/organization & administration , Accidental Falls/prevention & control , Patients' Rooms/organization & administration , Patient Safety , Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration , Nursing StationsABSTRACT
The new building of the Hospital in Lichtenfels (Germany) was put into operation in mid-July 2018. Neither the medical personnel nor medical departments have been changed. We want to evaluate how 'safe' or 'insecure' the new hospital or department in the beginning might have been. Our objective is to investigate if safety decreases at the beginning in a new hospital, despite modern environments and conditions. Adverse events (AEs) associated with treatment were included to evaluate the total number of AEs resulting from medical care and medications. Patients' records had to be closed and completed, the length of stay had to be at least 24 h, and the patient had to have been formally admitted to the hospital [Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) 'Global Trigger Tool' (GTT) recommendation]. The identified AEs were grouped into 27 categories of the IHI 'GTT'. We randomly reviewed 40 patient records per month 6 months before and 6 months after moving to the new hospital. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in individual AEs. The sum of AEs was statistically higher after moving into a new hospital. A complete number of harms did reach statistical significance (χ2 = 6.62; df = 1; P < .05; Cramer's V = 0.12), indicating that new environments 'trigger' significantly more potential errors (50%) in comparison to the old environments (38.33%). According to our findings, the new hospital appears to be slightly insecure in the first 6 months after opening.
Subject(s)
Patient Safety , Humans , Germany , Medical Errors/statistics & numerical data , Medical Errors/prevention & control , Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data , Hospitals , Quality Improvement , Hospital Design and Construction , Male , FemaleABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is growing awareness of the relationship between physical work environments and efficiency. Two conflicting factors shape efficiency in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment: the move to single-family rooms (SFRs) and increased demand for care, requiring growth in unit size. PURPOSE: The goal of this research was to understand the impact of SFR NICUs on efficiency factors such as unit design, visibility and proximity, staff time, and workspace usage by various health professionals. METHODS: A pre-/postoccupancy evaluation assessed a NICU moving from an open-bay to an SFR unit composed of 6 neighborhoods. A NICU patient care manager and researchers in design and communication implemented a multimethodological design using staff surveys, observations, and focus groups. RESULTS: Outcomes revealed SFR NICUs contribute to increased efficiency and overall satisfaction with design. Outside of staff time spent in patient rooms, decentralized nurse stations were the most frequented location for staff work, followed by huddle stations, medication and supply rooms, and corridors. Work at the observed locations was largely performed independently. Survey outcomes reported increased feelings of isolation, but focus groups revealed mixed opinions regarding these concerns. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: Design solutions found to enhance efficiency include a neighborhood unit design, standardized access to medications and supplies, and proximity of supplies, patient rooms, and nurse workstations. Although feelings of isolation were reported and most staff work was done independently in the patient room, the SFR unit might not be the culprit when considered alongside staff's desire to be closer to the patient room.
Subject(s)
Hospital Design and Construction , Intensive Care Units, Neonatal , Infant, Newborn , Humans , Patient Care , Attitude , Surveys and Questionnaires , Patients' RoomsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Recent trends in neonatal intensive care unit design have been directed toward reducing negative stimuli and creating a more developmentally appropriate environment for infants who require intensive care. These efforts have included reconfiguring units to provide private rooms for infants. PURPOSE: The purpose of this integrative review was to synthesize and critically analyze negative outcomes for patients, families, and staff who have been identified in the literature related to single-family room (SFR) care in the neonatal intensive care unit. METHODS/SEARCH STRATEGY: The electronic databases of CINAHL, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health, and PubMed databases were utilized. Inclusion criteria were research studies in English, conducted from 2011 to 2021, in which the focus of the study was related to unit design (SFRs). Based on the inclusion criteria, our search yielded 202 articles, with an additional 2 articles found through reference list searches. After screening, 44 articles met our full inclusion/exclusion criteria. These studies were examined for outcomes related to SFR unit design. FINDINGS/RESULTS: Our findings revealed both positive and negative outcomes related to SFR unit design when compared with traditional open bay units. These outcomes were grouped into 4 domains: Environmental Outcomes, Infant Outcomes, Parent Outcomes, and Staff Outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: Although SFR neonatal intensive care unit design improves some outcomes for infants, families, and staff, some unexpected outcomes have been identified. Although these do not negate the positive outcomes, they should be recognized so that steps can be taken to address potential issues and prevent undesired outcomes.
Subject(s)
Hospital Design and Construction , Intensive Care Units, Neonatal , Infant, Newborn , Infant , Humans , Parents , Critical Care , Patients' RoomsABSTRACT
ICU is an essential location for critically ill patients to receive comprehensive diagnosis and treatment. However, the high intensity of ICU clinical work, the difficulty of diagnosis and treatment, and the poor humanistic environment require us to accelerate the pace of ICU reform. Therefore, the use of advanced technology to create an intelligent ICU department is imperative. The modern ICU is rich in electronic data and can collect a large amount of patient data during routine care, making it an ideal place to deploy intelligent digital platforms. The vast amounts of data generated by monitoring systems and electronic medical records provide fertile ground for the development of more accurate predictive models, better Clinical Decision Support System and more personalized diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, a well-designed and well-arranged ICU department will greatly enhance the patient's sense of occupancy, as well as increase the professional pride and sense of belonging. Therefore, the establishment of an intelligent ICU department is the only way for ICU to enter the fast lane of development, which will also have a profound impact on the development of ICU.
Subject(s)
Hospital Design and Construction , Intensive Care Units , HumansABSTRACT
The explosive outbreak of COVID-19 led to a shortage of medical resources, including isolation rooms in hospitals, healthcare workers (HCWs) and personal protective equipment. Here, we constructed a new model, non-contact community treatment centres to monitor and quarantine asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients who recorded their own vital signs using a smartphone application. This new model in Korea is useful to overcome shortages of medical resources and to minimise the risk of infection transmission to HCWs.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/therapy , Hospital Design and Construction/methods , Hospitals, Community/methods , Adult , Female , Hospitals, Community/classification , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Quarantine/methods , Republic of Korea , Self-Care UnitsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We present an organized hospital plan for the management of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients requiring emergency surgical interventions. To introduce a multidisciplinary approach for the management of COVID-19-infected patients and to report the first operated patient in the Corona unit. METHODS: A detailed presentation of the hospital plan for a separate Corona unit with its intensive care unit and operating rooms. Description of the management of the first spine surgery case treated in this unit. RESULTS: The Corona unit showed a practical approach for the management of an emergency cervical spine fracture-dislocation with acute paralysis. The patient is 92-year-old female. The mechanism of injury was a simple fall during the stay in the internal medicine department where the patient was treated in the referring hospital. The patient had no other injuries and was awake and oriented. The patient did not have the clinical symptom of COVID-19, and the test result of COVID-19 done in the referring hospital was not available on admission in our emergency room. Education of the medical staff and organization of the operating theatre facilitated the management of the patient without an increased risk of spreading the infection. CONCLUSIONS: The current COVID-19 pandemic requires an extra-ordinary organization of the medical and surgical care of the patients. It is possible to manage an infected or a potentially infected patient surgically, but a multidisciplinary plan is necessary to protect other patients and the medical staff.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , Cervical Vertebrae/injuries , Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods , Intensive Care Units/organization & administration , Joint Dislocations/surgery , Operating Rooms/organization & administration , Spinal Fractures/surgery , Zygapophyseal Joint/injuries , Accidental Falls , Aged, 80 and over , Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging , Cervical Vertebrae/surgery , Coronavirus , Coronavirus Infections , Emergency Service, Hospital , Environment Design , Female , Fractures, Bone , Germany , Hospital Design and Construction , Humans , Joint Dislocations/diagnostic imaging , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Pandemics , Paraplegia/etiology , Personal Protective Equipment , SARS-CoV-2 , Spinal Fractures/complications , Spinal Fractures/diagnostic imaging , Zygapophyseal Joint/diagnostic imaging , Zygapophyseal Joint/surgeryABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim was to describe the organisational changes in French EDs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to architectural constraints and compare with the recommendations of the various bodies concerning the structural adjustments to be made in this context. METHODS: As part of this cross-sectional study, all heads of emergency services or their deputies were contacted to complete an electronic survey. This was a standardised online questionnaire consisting of four parts: characteristics of the responding centre, creation of the COVID-19 zone and activation of the hospital's emergency operations plan, flow and circulation of patients and, finally, staff management. Each centre was classified according to its workload related to COVID-19 and its size (university hospital centre, high-capacity hospital centre and low-capacity hospital centre). The main endpoint was the frequency of implementation of international guidelines for ED organisation. RESULTS: Between 11 May and 20 June 2020, 57 French EDs completed the online questionnaire and were included in the analysis. Twenty-eight EDs were able to separate patient flows into two zones: high and low viral density (n=28/57, 49.1%). Of the centres included, 52.6% set up a specific triage area for patients with suspected COVID-19 (n=30/57). Whereas, in 15 of the EDs (26.3%), the architecture made it impossible to increase the surface area of the ED. CONCLUSION: All EDs have adapted, but many of the changes recommended for the organisation of ED could not be implemented. ED architecture constrains adaptive capacities in the context of COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Emergency Service, Hospital/organization & administration , Health Services Needs and Demand , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , Cross-Sectional Studies , France , Health Care Surveys , Hospital Design and Construction , HumansABSTRACT
PROBLEM: The current knowledge of evidence-based design for adults is not always implemented when hospital buildings are designed. Scientific data are sparse on the effects of hospital design in pediatric settings on health outcomes in children, parents, and staff. The objective of this review is to determine the evidence-based impact of the built environment in pediatric hospital facilities on health outcomes in children, parents, and staff. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: A systematic literature review was carried out on the electronic databases Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline and CINAHL from the period of 2008 to 2019. The review considered studies using either quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies. SAMPLE: Out of 1414 reviewed articles the result is based on eight included articles. RESULTS: Two of these eight articles included health outcomes. The other six articles presented results on measures of perceptions and/or satisfaction for children, parents or staff with the built environment when transitioning to a new or renovated facility. These were generally higher for the new compared to the old facility. CONCLUSIONS: Given the small number of studies addressing the question posed in this review, no firm conclusions can be drawn. IMPLICATIONS: The review illustrates the need for more research in the pediatric setting assessing the evidence-based health outcomes of aspects of physical environmental design in pediatric hospitals or units in children, parents and staff.
Subject(s)
Hospital Design and Construction , Hospitals, Pediatric , Adult , Built Environment , Child , Evidence-Based Practice , Humans , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , ParentsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To improve the infection control and prevention practices against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in radiology department through loophole identification and providing rectifying measurements. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 2 cases of health-care-associated COVID-19 transmission in 2 radiology departments and comparing the infection control and prevention practices against COVID-19 with the practices of our department, where no COVID-19 transmission has occurred. RESULTS: Several loopholes have been identified in the infection control and prevention practices against COVID-19 of the 2 radiology departments. Loopholes were in large part due to our limited understanding of the highly contagious coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is characterized by features not observed in other SARS viruses. We recommend to set up an isolation zone for handling patients who do not meet the diagnostic criteria of COVID-19 but are not completely cleared of the possibility of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Loopholes in the infection control and prevention practices against COVID-19 of the 2 radiology departments are due to poor understanding of the emerging disease which can be fixed by establishing an isolation zone for patients not completely cleared of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , Hospital Design and Construction/methods , Infection Control/methods , Quality Improvement , Radiology Department, Hospital , SARS-CoV-2 , Humans , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
As hospitals across the world realized their surge capacity would not be enough to care for patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection, an urgent need to open field hospitals prevailed. In this article the authors describe the implementation process of opening a Boston field hospital including the development of a culture unique to this crisis and the local community needs. Through first-person accounts, readers will learn (1) about Boston Hope, (2) how leaders managed and collaborated, (3) how the close proximity of the care environment impacted decision-making and management style, and (4) the characteristics of leaders under pressure as observed by the team.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Capacity Building/organization & administration , Hospital Design and Construction/methods , Mobile Health Units/organization & administration , Boston , Female , Humans , Leadership , Male , Mobile Health Units/statistics & numerical data , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , UncertaintyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Healthcare environment can affect health. Adverse events (AEs) are common because rapid changes in the patients' status can suddenly arise, and have serious consequences, especially in intensive care. The relationship between the design of intensive care units (ICUs) and AEs has not been fully explored. Hence, an intensive care room was refurbished with cyclic lightning, sound absorbents and unique interior, and exterior design to promote health. AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences between a regular and a refurbished intensive care room in risk for AEs among critically ill patients. DESIGN: This study retrospectively evaluated associations of AEs and compared the incidence of AEs in patients who were assigned to a multidisciplinary ICU in a refurbished two-bed patient room with patients in the control rooms between 2011 and 2018. METHODS: There were 1938 patients included in this study (1382 in control rooms; 556 in the intervention room). Descriptive statistics were used to present the experienced AEs. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to estimate the relationship between the intervention/control rooms and variables concerning AEs. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: For the frequency of AEs, there were no significant differences between the intervention room and the control rooms (10.6% vs 11%, respectively, P < 0.805). No findings indicated the intervention room (the refurbished room) had a significant influence on decreasing the number of experienced AEs in critically ill patients. CONCLUSIONS: The findings revealed a low incident of AEs in both the intervention room as well as in the control rooms, lower than previously described. However, our study did not find any decreases in the AEs due to the design of the rooms. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Further research is needed to determine the relationship between the physical environment and AEs in critically ill patients.
Subject(s)
Critical Care Outcomes , Delivery of Health Care , Environment Design/trends , Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data , Patients' Rooms/statistics & numerical data , Critical Illness/mortality , Female , Hospital Design and Construction , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Abstract: Many of the devastating pandemics and outbreaks of last centuries have been caused by enveloped viruses. The recent pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has seriously endangered the global health system. In particular, hospitals have had to deal with a frequency in the emergency room and a request for beds for infectious diseases never faced in the last decades. It is well-known that hospitals are environments with a high infectious risk. Environmental control of indoor air and surfaces becomes an important means of limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2. In particular, to preserve an adequate indoor microbiological quality, an important non-pharmacological strategy is represented by Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems and finishing materials. Starting from the SARS-CoV-2 transmission routes, the paper investigates the hospital risk analysis and management, the indoor air quality and determination of microbial load, surface management and strategies in cleaning activities, HVAC systems' management and filters' efficiency. In conclusion, the paper suggests some strategies of interventions and best practices to be taken into considerations for the next steps in design and management.
Subject(s)
Air Microbiology , Air Pollution, Indoor , COVID-19/prevention & control , Health Facilities , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Air Conditioning , COVID-19/transmission , Construction Materials , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Cross Infection/transmission , Equipment Contamination , Equipment Design , Filtration/instrumentation , Filtration/methods , Heating , Hospital Design and Construction , Humans , Particulate Matter , Risk Assessment , Ventilation/instrumentationABSTRACT
During coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there continues to be a need to utilize cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories for emergent and urgent procedures. Per infection prevention guidelines and hospital codes, catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories are usually built as positive-pressure ventilation rooms to minimize the infection risk. However, patients with highly transmissible airborne diseases such as COVID-19 are best caredfor in negative ventilation rooms to minimize the risk of transmission. From a mechanical and engineering perspective, positive-pressure ventilation rooms cannot be readily converted to negative-pressure ventilation rooms. In this report, we describe a novel, quick, readily implantable, and resource-friendly approach on how to secure air quality in catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories by converting a positive-pressure ventilation room to a two-zone negative ventilation system to minimize the risk of transmission.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , Cardiac Catheterization , Infection Control/standards , Ventilation/instrumentation , Air Pressure , Environment, Controlled , Hospital Design and Construction , Humans , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
STUDY OBJECTIVE: We examine the effects of a front-end flow model designated the rapid assessment zone on multiple emergency department (ED) operational metrics. METHODS: This was a retrospective, before-after study of consecutive patient visits at an urban community ED. Six-month periods were compared before and after an intervention in 2017 that changed patient flow and the intake process. A lead nurse role splits patient flow immediately on patient arrival according to only age and chief complaint, allowing direct bedding without the bottlenecks of vital sign measurement, full triage assessment, or Emergency Severity Index assignment. A new patient care area (designated rapid assessment zone) preferentially expedites treatment of patients likely to remain ambulatory and serves as flexible acute care space when needed by individual cases and the ED. The outcomes measured were ED length of stay, arrival-to-provider time, the rate of leaving before treatment completion, and the rate of leaving before being seen. Data were analyzed with nonparametric testing, χ2 analysis, and multiple linear regression, controlling for patient visit characteristics, ED daily census volumes, and measurements of boarding patients. RESULTS: We analyzed 43,847 visits in the preintervention and 44,792 visits in the postintervention periods. The intervention was associated with the following changes: median ED length of stay from 203 to 171 minutes (-15.8%), median arrival-to-provider time from 28 to 13 minutes (-53.6%), leaving before treatment completion from 1.0% to 0.8% (-20%), and leaving before being seen from 3.1% to 0.5% (-84%). Regression analysis accounting for multiple confounders demonstrated that the reduced length of stay after rapid assessment zone implementation persisted across Emergency Severity Index levels 2 to 5 and all ED daily census levels. CONCLUSION: The rapid assessment zone model aims to decrease front-end bottlenecks and minimize serial intake assessments at a high-volume, urban ED. It was associated with improved patient throughput and decreased early patient departure. It may represent a useful model for similar centers.
Subject(s)
Emergency Service, Hospital/organization & administration , Triage/organization & administration , Workflow , Efficiency, Organizational , Hospital Design and Construction , Hospitals, Urban/organization & administration , Humans , Length of Stay , Linear Models , Massachusetts , Retrospective Studies , Triage/methodsABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health threat. A hospital in Zhuhai adopted several measures in Fever Clinic Management (FCM) to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19. FCM has been proved to be effective in preventing nosocomial cross infection. Faced with the emergency, the hospital undertook creative operational steps in relation to the control and spread of COVID-19, with special focuses on physical and administrative layout of buildings, staff training and preventative procedures. The first operational step was to set up triaging stations at all entrances and then complete a standard and qualified fever clinic, which was isolated from the other buildings within our hospital complex. Secondly, the hospital established its human resource reservation for emergency response and the allocation of human resources to ensure strict and standardised training methods through the hospital for all medical staff and ancillary employees. Thirdly, the hospital divided the fever clinic into partitioned areas and adapted a three-level triaging system. The experiences shared in this paper would be of practical help for the facilities that are encountering or will encounter the challenges of COVID-19, i.e. to prevent nosocomial cross infection among patients and physicians.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/therapy , Emergency Medical Services/methods , Hospital Design and Construction/methods , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , COVID-19 , China/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Disease Outbreaks , Emergency Medical Services/organization & administration , Emergency Medical Services/standards , Fever/diagnosis , Fever/etiology , Fever/therapy , Hospital Design and Construction/standards , Humans , Pandemics/prevention & control , Personal Protective Equipment , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Teaching , Time Factors , Triage/methods , Ventilation/standards , Workflow , Workforce/organization & administration , Workforce/standardsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patients with psychiatric illnesses are particularly vulnerable to highly contagious, droplet-spread organisms such as SARS-CoV-2. Patients with mental illnesses may not be able to consistently follow up behavioral prescriptions to avoid contagion, and they are frequently found in settings with close contact and inadequate infection control, such as group homes, homeless shelters, residential rehabilitation centers, and correctional facilities. Furthermore, inpatient psychiatry settings are generally designed as communal spaces, with heavy emphasis on group and milieu therapies. As such, inpatient psychiatry services are vulnerable to rampant spread of contagion. OBJECTIVE: With this in mind, the authors outline the decision process and ultimate design and implementation of a regional inpatient psychiatry unit for patients infected with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 and share key points for consideration in implementing future units elsewhere. CONCLUSION: A major takeaway point of the analysis is the particular expertise of trained experts in psychosomatic medicine for treating patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Subject(s)
Asymptomatic Infections , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Hospital Design and Construction/methods , Hospital Units , Hospitalization , Infection Control/methods , Mental Disorders/therapy , Personnel Staffing and Scheduling/organization & administration , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Humans , Involuntary Commitment , Mental Disorders/complications , Pandemics , Personal Protective Equipment , Psychiatric Department, Hospital , Psychotherapy, Group/methods , Recreation , SARS-CoV-2 , Ventilation/methods , Visitors to PatientsABSTRACT
AIM: To evaluate the response measures in continuing an image-guided intervention service in two tertiary-level musculoskeletal oncology centres during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a retrospective review of all patients undergoing image-guided intervention in the computed tomography (CT) and normal ultrasound (US) rooms from 24 March 2020 to 24 May 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic peak) at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, London, and Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Measures were put in place to address air pressures, airflow direction, aerosol generation, and the safe utilisation of existing scanning rooms and work lists for interventional procedures. RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty-one patients (164 at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and 167 at Royal Orthopaedic Hospital) underwent image-guided procedures at both sites in the CT and US rooms. At the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, 40% of all procedures were performed under general anaesthesia. These consisted of 47 CT biopsies, 7 CT radiofrequency ablations (RFAs), and 12 US biopsies. At the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, 86% of all procedures were performed under local anaesthetic, with no general anaesthetic procedures. These consisted of 61 CT biopsies and 83 US biopsies. All 256 patients having procedures in the CT room had no post-procedural complications or COVID-19-related symptoms and morbidity on follow-up. CONCLUSION: By adopting a pragmatic approach with meticulous planning, a limited, but fully functional image-guided interventional list can be run without any adverse patient outcomes.