Boston Health Design Insights Networking Event

Melinda Bohlmann
Director of Sales - West, Carstens, Inc.

Increasing Nurses’ Time at the Bedside Could Mean Fewer Medication Errors

Multiple factors impact medication errors in healthcare.  Many are intrinsic (those that have a physiologic origin) to the staff who prepare and administer the medications, as well as extrinsic (those precipitating from environmental or other hazards) to the organization, such as their policies and procedures and cultural issues. However, few studies explore how aspects of the built environment impact medication error rates. This presentation will examine the role of decentralized medication distribution (versus a central medication room) on the impact of nurses’ time at the bedside and medication errors.

Sue Ann Barton, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP
ZGF Architects LLP

Jerry Foster, AIA
ZGF Architects LLP

Designing for the Highest Level of Care: Two Case Studies

With the goal to improve patient care, clinical outcomes, and operational efficiency, architects and healthcare administrators are continuously looking for new ways to design healthcare spaces. A trend towards increasingly higher levels of patient acuity is driving the need for rooms that are flexible and can support patients with varying acuity levels and care needs.

This presentation will focus on two case studies, with innovative and flexible planning and design solutions that can support mixed acuity patients and integrated care teams. One case study will highlight a prototype for an Extended Family Room with Beacon Health System at Memorial Children’s Hospital, evolved from the concept of the Single Family Room in NICU care. The second will highlight an integrated pre- and post-operative care unit at UNC Hospitals, Surgical Pavilion that both increases the flexibility of staff and provides greater privacy for patients and families. In both instances, the room design supports the highest level of acuity, that when combined with cross-training of staff, promotes the highest level of care.

William L. Maiman
Marketing Manager, MechoSystems

Solutions for a Healing Environment

A better patient outcome is a goal we all share.  The concepts and principles of daylighting, effective window treatments, automated window treatments, aesthetically pleasing and functional roller shades, and patient control of roller shades will be presented and explained so that the goal of a pleasing environment and its influence on patient outcomes can be maximized.  The relationship of the 2015 Changemaker award recipient, Roger S. Ulrich, announced at the 2015 Healthcare Design Expo and Conference, to roller shades and daylight will be defined.

Cyndi McCullough
Director, Evidence-based Design, HDR Inc.

Technology and Patient Engagement at Great Plains Health-
North Platte, NE

When properly designed, implemented and operated, technology offers innovative, effective and affordable ways to support the creation of an evidence-based, state-of-the-art healthcare center that is operationally efficient, effective and patient centered.

Health information technology has been shown to improve quality by increasing adherence to quidelines, enhancing disease surveillance, and decreasing medical errors.

Great Plains Health is the first hospital in Nebraska to use the GetWell Patient communication technology. They are also the first site where GetWell added a versus tag (RTLS) to further improve the patient-provider interface and track quality measures. Patients are able to get information about their care, leave questions for their provider, view their schedule, view educational videos, complete opinion surveys, and they can connect with family/friends via social media, e-mail and chat via their TV.

This is just one example of the many technologies that have been implemented and will be discussed during the presentation.

Sylvia Nash
VP of Healthcare, Kwalu

Defensive Design for Patient Room of the Future 

Patient rooms are the cornerstone of the patient experience and many elements within the patient room need to be dissected.  Sylvia Nash will deliver a  thought provoking perspective of defensive design strategy of the patient room including a laser focus on infection prevention to improve HCAHPS scores, treatment costs, reimbursement challenges and the overall hospital’s  image.