UNIVERSITY OF PERPETUAL HELP SYSTEM DALTA – CALAMBA

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

A PROPOSED 25 – BED HOSPITAL

BUILDING
FOR
MOTHER AND CHILD

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN 4

IVAN O. ALCANTARA
BS – ARCHITECTURE

GLENN M. LIONA
INSTRUCTOR
INTRODUCTION

An institution that is built, staffed, and equipped for the diagnosis of disease; for the treatment, both
medical and surgical, of the sick and the injured; and for their housing during this process. The modern hospital also
often serves as a center for investigation and for teaching.

To better serve the wide-ranging needs of the community, the modern hospital has often developed outpatient
facilities, as well as emergency, psychiatric, and rehabilitation services. In addition, “bedless hospitals” provide
strictly ambulatory (outpatient) care and day surgery. Patients arrive at the facility for short appointments. They may
also stay for treatment in surgical or medical units for part of a day or for a full day, after which they are discharged
for follow-up by a primary care health provider.

Hospitals have long existed in most countries. Developing countries, which contain a large proportion of the world’s
population, generally do not have enough hospitals, equipment, and trained staff to handle the volume of persons
who need care. Thus, people in these countries do not always receive the benefits of modern medicine, public health
measures, or hospital care, and they generally have lower life expectancies.

In developed countries the hospital as an institution is complex, and it is made more so as modern technology
increases the range of diagnostic capabilities and expands the possibilities for treatment. As a result of the greater
range of services and the more-involved treatments and surgeries available, a more highly trained staff is required. A
combination of medical research, engineering, and biotechnology has produced a vast array of new treatments and
instrumentation, much of which requires specialized training and facilities for its use. Hospitals thus have become
more expensive to operate, and health service managers are increasingly concerned with questions of quality, cost,
effectiveness, and efficiency.

Hospitals are the most complex of building types. Each hospital is comprised of a wide range of services and
functional units. These include diagnostic and treatment functions, such as clinical laboratories, imaging, emergency
rooms, and surgery; hospitality functions, such as food service and housekeeping; and the fundamental inpatient
care or bed-related function. This diversity is reflected in the breadth and specificity of regulations, codes, and
oversight that govern hospital construction and operations. Each of the wide-ranging and constantly evolving
functions of a hospital, including highly complicated mechanical, electrical, and telecommunications systems,
requires specialized knowledge and expertise. No one person can reasonably have complete knowledge, which is
why specialized consultants play an important role in hospital planning and design. The functional units within the
hospital can have competing needs and priorities. Idealized scenarios and strongly-held individual preferences must
be balanced against mandatory requirements, actual functional needs (internal traffic and relationship to other
departments), and the financial status of the organization.

DESIGN OBJECTIVES
1.) To provide safe, secure, and high quality medical care.
2.) To provide safe, secure, and high quality medical care.
3.) To support and develop community health and medical services.
4.) To promote advanced medical care and disseminate it to the world.
According to Guidelines in the Planning and Design of a Hospital and other facilities, a hospital and other health
facilities shall be planned and designed to observe appropriate architectural practices, to meet prescribed functional
programs, and to conform to applicable codes as part of normal professional practice. References shall be made to
the following:

 P. D. 1096 – National Building Code of the Philippines and Its Implementing Rules and Regulations
 P. D. 1185 – Fire Code of the Philippines and Its Implementing Rules and Regulations
 P. D. 856 – Code on Sanitation of the Philippines and Its Implementing Rules and Regulations
 B. P. 344 – Accessibility Law and Its Implementing Rules and Regulations
 R. A. 184 – Philippine Electrical Code
 Health Facilities Maintenance Manual. Department of Health, Manila. 1995
 District Hospitals: Guidelines for Development. World Health Organization Regional Publications, Western
Pacific Series. 1992
 De Chiara, Joseph. Time-Saver Standards for Building Types. McGraw-Hill Book Company. 1980
 R. A. 1378 – National Plumbing Code of the Philippines and Its Implementing Rules and Regulations
 Manual on Technical Guidelines for Hospitals and Health Facilities Planning and Design. Department of
Health, Manila. 1994

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN HOSPITAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Each of the wide-ranging and constantly evolving functions of a hospital, including highly complicated mechanical,
electrical, and telecommunications systems, requires specialized knowledge and expertise. Hospital design is also
influenced by site restraints and opportunities, climate, surrounding facilities, budget, and available technology. All
hospitals should have certain common attributes, regardless of their location, size or budget.

EFFICIENCY AND COST EFFECTIVENESS

An efficient hospital layout should promote staff efficiency by minimizing distance of necessary travel between
frequently used spaces; allow visual supervision of patients; provide an efficient logistics system for supplies and
food (and removal of waste); make efficient use of multipurpose spaces and consolidate spaces when possible.

• Promote staff efficiency by minimizing distance of necessary travel between frequently used spaces

• Allow easy visual supervision of patients by limited staff

• Include all needed spaces, but no redundant ones. This requires careful pre-design programming.

• Provide an efficient logistics system, which might include elevators, pneumatic tubes, box conveyors, manual
or automated carts, and gravity or pneumatic chutes, for the efficient handling of food and clean supplies and the
removal of waste, recyclables, and soiled material

• Make efficient use of space by locating support spaces so that they may be shared by adjacent functional
areas, and by making prudent use of multi-purpose space.

• Consolidate outpatient functions for more efficient operation—on first floor, if possible— for direct access
by outpatients

• Group or combine functional areas with similar system requirements

• Provide optimal functional adjacencies, such as locating the surgical intensive care unit adjacent to the
operating suite. These adjacencies should be based on a detailed functional program which describes the hospital's
intended operations from the standpoint of patients, staff, and supplies.
 Environment: A hospital and other health facilities shall be so located that it is readily accessible to the
community and reasonably free from undue noise, smoke, dust, foul odor, flood, and shall not be located
adjacent to railroads, freight yards, children's playgrounds, airports, industrial plants, disposal plants.
 Occupancy: A building designed for other purposes shall not be converted into a hospital. The location of a
hospital shall comply with all local zoning ordinances.
 Safety: A hospital and other health facilities shall provide and maintain a safe environment for patients,
personnel and the public. The building shall be of such construction so that no hazards to the life and safety
of patients, personnel and public exist. It shall be capable of withstanding weight and elements to which it
may be subjected.
 Security: A hospital and other health facilities shall ensure the security of person and property within the
facility.
 Patient Movement: Spaces shall be wide enough for free movement of patients, whether they are on beds,
stretchers, or wheelchairs. Circulation routes for transferring patients from one area to another should be
available and free at all times.
 Lighting: All areas in a hospital and other health facilities shall be provided with sufficient illumination to
promote comfort, healing and recovery of patients and to enable personnel in the performance of work.
 Ventilation: Adequate ventilation shall be provided to ensure comfort of patients, personnel and public.
 Auditory and Visual Privacy: A hospital and other health facilities shall observe acceptable sound level and
adequate visual seclusion to achieve the acoustical and privacy requirements in designated areas allowing
the unhampered conduct of activities.
 Water Supply: A hospital and other health facilities shall use an approved public water supply system
whenever available. The water supply shall be potable, safe for drinking and adequate, and shall be brought
into the building free of cross connections.
 Waste Disposal: Liquid waste shall be discharged into an approved public sewage system whenever
available, and solid waste shall be collected, treated and disposed of in accordance with applicable codes,
laws or ordinances.
 Sanitation: Utilities for the maintenance of sanitary systems, including approved water supply and sewage
systems, shall be provided through the buildings and premises to ensure a clean and healthy environment.
 Housekeeping: A hospital and other health facilities shall provide and maintain a healthy and aesthetic
environment for patients, personnel and public.
 Maintenance: There shall be an effective building maintenance program in place. The buildings and
equipment shall be kept in a state of good repair. Proper maintenance shall be provided to prevent untimely
breakdown of buildings and equipment.
 Material Specification: Floors, walls and ceilings shall be of sturdy materials that shall allow durability, ease
of cleaning and fire resistance
 Segregation: Wards shall observe segregation of sexes. Separate toilet shall be maintained for patients and
personnel, male and female, with a ratio of one (1) toilet for every eight (8) patients or personnel.
 Fire Protection: There shall be measures for detecting fire such as fire alarms in walls, peepholes in doors or
smoke detectors in ceilings. There shall be devices for quenching fire such as fire extinguishers or fire hoses
that are easily visible and accessible in strategic areas.
 Signage. There shall be an effective graphic system composed of a number of individual visual aids and
devices arranged to provide information, orientation, direction, identification, prohibition, warning and
official notice considered essential to the optimum operation of a hospital and other health facilities.
 Parking. A hospital and other health facilities shall provide a minimum of one (1) parking space for every
twenty-five (25) beds.
 Zoning: The different areas of a hospital shall be grouped according to zones as follows:
 Outer Zone – areas that are immediately accessible to the public: emergency service, outpatient service, and
administrative service. They shall be located near the entrance of the hospital.
 Outer Zone – areas that are immediately accessible to the public: emergency service, outpatient service, and
administrative service. They shall be located near the entrance of the hospital.
 FUNCTION - The different areas of a hospital shall be functionally related with each other
 The administrative service, particularly admitting office and business office, shall be located near the main
entrance of the hospital. Offices for hospital management can be located in private areas.
 The emergency service shall be located in the ground floor to ensure immediate access. A separate entrance
to the emergency room shall be provided.
 The surgical service shall be located and arranged to prevent non-related traffic. The operating room shall be
as remote as practicable from the entrance to provide asepsis. The dressing room shall be located to avoid
exposure to dirty areas after changing to surgical garments. The nurse station shall be located to permit
visual observation of patient movement.
 The delivery service shall be located and arranged to prevent non-related traffic. The delivery room shall be
as remote as practicable from the entrance to provide asepsis. The dressing room shall be located to avoid
exposure to dirty areas after changing to surgical garments. The nurse station shall be located to permit
visual observation of patient movement. The nursery shall be separate but immediately accessible from the
delivery room.
 20.5 The nursing service shall be segregated from public areas. The nurse station shall be located to
permit visual observation of patients. Nurse stations shall be provided in all inpatient units of the hospital
with a ratio of at least one (1) nurse station for every thirty-five (35) beds. Rooms and wards shall be of
sufficient size to allow for work flow.

SPACE REQUIRMENTS - Adequate area shall be provided for the people, activity, furniture, equipment and utility.
1.) 0.65/person – Unit area per person occupying the space at one time
2.) 5.02/staff – Work area per staff that includes space for one (1) desk and one (1) chair, space for occasional visitor,
and space for aisle.
3.) 1.40/person – Unit area per person occupying the space at one time.
4.) 7.43/bed – Clear floor area per bed that includes space for one (1) bed, space for occasional visitor, and space for
passage of equipment.
5.) 1.08/stretcher – Clear floor area per stretcher that includes space for one (1) stretcher.
BUILDING REQUIRMENTS
LOBBY AND INFORMATION
 Admitting office
An office in a hospital where administrative staff carry out the procedures necessary
to admit a patient to the hospital.
 Reception Area
A large open area inside and near the entrance of a public building.

 Public Toilets
Separate toilet shall be maintained for patients and personnel, male and female, with
a ratio of one (1) toilet for every eight (8) patients or personnel.
 Multipurpose Area
Multipurpose spaces are most suitable when located between academic office areas
and research spaces and enable faculties and departments to facilitate large group
activities such as research presentations, departmental gatherings, 'town hall'
meetings, and research-specific third-party guest presentations.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE
 Administrator’s office
The office where business operations, public relations, and the management
procedures take place. It is a location used by personnel for recordkeeping and
record retention but not for providing medical services, nursing services, or health-
related services.
 Chief of Hospital’s Office
The Chief of Staff is the head of the medical staff, responsible for providing
leadership and guidance to the medical staff and promoting effective communication
between the medical staff, administration and Board of Trustees.
 Conference room
A conference room is a large room in a hotel where a number of people can have a
conference. The conference room has eight seats and two tables. There are three
conference rooms, each of which is equipped with a large screen for business
presentations.
 Secretary’s office
Hospital secretaries perform administrative tasks at hospitals or medical clinics.
Their duties include admitting patients, preparing medical files, billing patients, and
scheduling staff meetings. They also support patients with filling out forms and
scheduling appointments.
 Business office
Hospital Unit Clerks provide assistance to medical staff and manage patient
information. Essential job duties of a Hospital Unit Clerk are ensuring patient record
organization and confidentiality, greeting patients and visitors, taking phone calls,
scheduling appointments, and ordering supplies.
 Printing office
An establishment or a department in which printing is carried out
 Chief Nurse Office
As a chief nursing officer, you will provide leadership to the nursing team at your
healthcare organization. On a typical day, you might manage finances, implement
treatment plans, integrate new medical technologies, assign schedules, and onboard
new nurses into the department.
 COA office
Examine, audit and settle all accounts pertaining to the revenue and receipts of, and
expenditures or uses of funds and property owned or held in trust by, or pertaining
to, the government.
 Staff Lounge
The place where staff can relax before or after class, eat lunch, grab a coffee, spend
recess, consult with colleagues, plan lessons, discuss educational issues and socialize.
 Staff toilet

ANCILLIARY SERVICES
The Ancillary Department is composed of the Laboratory, Pharmacy, Radiology, Physical
Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Dietetics, Medical Social Service and Health Information
Management.
 Pharmacy
Hospital pharmacy is the health care service, which comprises the art, practice, and
profession of choosing, preparing, storing, compounding, and dispensing medicines
and medical devices, advising patients, doctors, nurses and other healthcare
professionals on their safe, effective and efficient use.
 Pharmacist’s office
Pharmacists are medication experts and play a critical role in helping people get the
best results from their medications. Pharmacists prepare and dispense prescriptions,
ensure medicines and doses are correct, prevent harmful drug interactions, and
counsel patients on the safe and appropriate use of their medications.
 Medical Record’s Room
Provides data to the hospital staff directly responsible in-patient care management
as well as information to decision-makers that serves as management tool for
sensible planning and evidence based decision-making.
 Social Service Room
The Medical Social Worker is responsible for the classification of admitted patients.
They prepare social case studies, perform assessment of the psychosocial condition
of patients and families and facilitates their needs as necessary.
 Out-Patient Department
With the exception of optical and auditory diseases, a variety of cases are seen by
OPD practitioners. The services provided include triaging, general medical, surgical
and gynecological consultations, health education, and wound dressings. A clinician
attending to a patient at the OPD consulting room.
 RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
The ultimate objective of the diagnostic radiology department is to aid physicians in
their efforts to diagnose and treat disease by providing them with timely and reliable
information obtained from radiographic examinations using the least amount of
radiation necessary for conducting the radiographic examination.
 X-Ray room
used for taking standard x-rays such as back, neck, chest, limb, hand or foot.
 Radiologist’s office
Radiologists are physicians who specialize in analyzing medical images to diagnose
and treat illnesses.
 MORGUE
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of
human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial,
cremation or other methods of disposal.
  EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
The Emergency Department staff sees patients in an order determined by the
severity of illness. It is not a “take a number “system. The staff meets the most
critical medical needs first. If you are critically ill or require constant intravenous
medications or fluids, you may be admitted to the hospital.
 Treatment rooms
A treatment room is a place in the hospital where your child receives medical care.
Healthcare providers can test your child's blood, insert an IV (small tube that goes
into a vein), place a feeding tube, or change a bandage in a treatment room.
 Nurse Station
A nurses' station is an area of a health care facility (such as a hospital ward or nursing
home), which nurses and other health care staff work behind when not working
directly with patients and where they can perform some of their duties.
 Observation Room
Observation services are defined as the use of a bed and periodic monitoring and/or
short-term treatment by a hospital's nursing or other staff. These services are
considered reasonable and necessary to evaluate a patient's condition to determine
the need for possible inpatient admission
 MINOR OPERATION ROOM
Surgery involving little risk to the life of the patient specifically: an operation on the
superficial structures of the body or a manipulative procedure that does not involve a
serious risk — compare major surgery.

SURGERY/LABOR DEPARTMENT
Surgeons treat injuries, diseases, and deformities through operations. Using a variety of
instruments, a surgeon corrects physical deformities, repairs bone and tissue after injuries,
or performs preventive or elective surgeries on patients.

 Sterile corridor
Sterile corridor means an area of a surgical facility designated primarily for surgical
cases and surgical support staff.
 Operating room
Rooms are supplied with wall suction, oxygen, and possibly other anesthetic gases.
Key equipment consists of the operating table and the anesthesia cart. In addition,
there are tables to set up instruments. There is storage space for common surgical
supplies.
  Labor room
It is called a labor, delivery, and recovery room (LDR). This is the type of room that
some hospitals and almost all birth centers use for their care. Once you are placed in
a room, this is the room that you will use for your labor and birth, including the initial
hours of recovery.
 Delivery room
The Delivery Room is a special unit in the hospital where pregnant women give birth
to babies. Prior to transfer of the patient to the DR, the patient may need to stay
inside the Labor Room where the mother is being assessed and monitored.
 Recovery room
After surgery you will be moved to a recovery room. This is an area near the
operating theatre with monitoring equipment and specially trained staff. In some
hospitals, it may be called a recovery ward or post anesthesia care unit. It might be a
shared space or a private room.
 Clean up room
It simply means a patient has come into contact with the item, so it either needs to
be made sanitary for the next use or disposed of completely. When items from the
clean utility room are sent to a patient, the dirty utility room (or sluice room) is
where the used items end up, in order to be cleaned or disposed of.
 Nursery room
The Delivery room and Nursery room of Medicus Medical Center are located in the
OR Complex at the second floor of the hospital. It is a mother and baby friendly unit
that are facilitated by medical staff and nurses specializing in maternal and baby
care.0
 NURSING FACILITY
Nursing facilities are institutions certified by a state to offer 24-hour medical and
skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, or health-related services to.
 Maternity Wards
The department of a hospital that provides care for women during pregnancy and
childbirth as well as for newborn infants.
 Pediatric Wards
Acutely ill children, pediatric neurology research patients, rehabilitation patients,
and surgical and research patients needing round-the-clock care are treated at the
Pediatric Ward.

DIETARY SERVICES
The Dietary Department prepares nutritious meals according to your diet orders prescribed by your physician. Your
diet, like your medication, is important to your recovery. A Registered Dietitian. (RD) performs nutritional
assessments and provides appropriate interventions and recommendations.
10 ELEMENTS OF THE PERFECT HOSPITAL DESIGN
Healthcare environments continue to grow in complexity. Today’s perfect hospital design addresses many functions
for a variety of users, including patients, families, staff, and c-suite. And while patients and their families are the
primary focus for many healthcare institutions, even a list that focuses on patient-centered design is extensive.

Despite the complexity, I believe there are design elements that have the power to positively affect multiple
populations within a hospital. If I had to pick 10 areas to advise a client on where to focus – if I looked carefully at
the basic elements healthcare designers must chart – I would start with the following:

Architecture & Campus Design

Good campus planning and architecture allows the layout of streets, building approach and building entries to serve
as wayfinding devices. Trying to read signs while driving is nerve-wracking. Vehicular access and approach roads
should be designed to be intuitive and clear to alleviate stress on the commute. In addition, choices in scale, lighting
and materiality for the main entry to the hospital, parking structures, and medical office buildings put patients and
their families on the quickest path to the front door. Locating vertical circulation towers and major public spaces
near main entries serves as a beacon for those arriving at night, signaling to patients and families where to go with
clearly illuminated entrances.

Welcoming Design Aesthetic

Good hospital design should reflect both the region and the visual and cultural ethos of the institution. Today, many
institutions reference elements of hospitality design when discussing their vision for new buildings. This includes
covered drop-offs with valet parking, open and transparent lobbies and public spaces, and warm, natural materials
that evoke a sense of comfort. Concierge and check-in services are becoming more common. Art and sound play a
key role in creating a calming and welcoming aesthetic and providing positive distractions upon arrival.

Drop-Off and Parking

There is no better way to feel that you are being taken care of – pampered even – than by eliminating all worry of
arrival, drop-off and parking. Free valet services reduce stress of finding a space, paying and returning to your car. An
expanded vehicular drop-off and pick-up area accommodates these services. It is also adaptable for ride-share and a
potential autonomous car revolution. With more patients and visitors utilizing alternative arrival methods, this drop-
off sequence will become more important than ever before as parking garages shrink or are converted to other
hospital functions.

Internal Wayfinding
When architecture, medical planning, interior design and environmental graphics harmoniously blend, a first-time
visitor can walk through a space without the aid or “you are here” maps. Aligning the patient journey with key
architecture and interior elements alleviates the need for excessive signage, which can become distracting. Less
signage also means more room for design that creates joy and delight. For example, bold colors or visually distinct
changes at elevator banks pull people toward them. Using the concourse concept or promenade to connect
departments together is a way to intuitively organize wayfinding.

A Better Waiting Area

The same holds true for check in desks and waiting areas – use the spaces and their visual identities to intuitively
help patients navigate. The waiting room is one of the most stressful parts of a visit so make it an amazing place to
be: provide expansive views, windows for daylight, art and beautiful, comfortable furniture. Locating waiting areas
along the perimeter is an effective way to promote wayfinding and mitigate patient and family stress.

Pleasant Clinical Environment

Patients and staff benefit from a well-designed space. While it is tempting to focus only on lobbies and waiting
areas, clinical areas need just as much attention. Imaging suites, procedure rooms where patients are conscious, and
blood-draw stations benefit from natural daylight and positive distractions in art, material palette and views. These
areas are critical in creating a calming and healing environment.

Onstage / Offstage Environments (The Disney Effect)

Today, many healthcare institutions take cues from Disney’s onstage/offstage concept, where impeccable service
appears to happen seamlessly. When designing a new hospital, it isn’t just about separating experience areas from
service areas but designing a circulation and planning diagram that allows the separation of goods and services from
patients and their families, both vertically and horizontally. There are varying degrees to this separation and many
influential criteria. For example, adding service and patient transport elevators centered in the patient wing instead
of at the end of the units decreases the amount of crossover between patients and services.

Healthy Building = Healthy Occupants

Healing happens inside hospitals and the building itself should participate in that healing process. Designing with
Red List-free materials, providing clean and filtered air, and offering access to outside experiences with operable
windows or terraces in places where immune systems are not compromised are all strategies for healthier buildings.
Looking beyond patients to a healthier planet, excess heat, rain and wind should be captured and stored for use.
Since hospitals are mission critical facilities and need to remain open and accessible after events like wildfires,
tornados and earthquakes the perfect hospital is a standalone, net zero, resilient structure.

Personalization and Choice

Personalization goes a long way in creating a comforting experience. It also helps patients and their families have a
better visit – potentially leading to better outcomes. Just think of all the different ways for patients to customize
their experience: change room color or lighting; pick from a group, semi-private or private room for infusion or
dialysis treatment; customize overhead music or artwork; select from city or river views. When patients are offered
choice it provides a feeling of control over their visit and their care.

Dignified Discharge
Finally, consider how to give a dignified exit for patients who are leaving the hospital, but still require assistance.
Provide a comfortable and private discharge route that does not go through the main hospital doors for those using
crutches or a wheelchair for the first time or recovering from a day procedure.

As designers, we must pay attention to these 10 patient-centered elements to create positive reactions for all
populations within a hospital. For healthcare institutions, this list can be used to start asking the right questions
about your own healthcare project and how design decisions will affect your hospital. For patients, these 10
elements have the power to ensure a comfortable visit for patients and their families, faster healing and improved
outcomes.

EMERGING ISSUES - Among the many new developments and trends influencing hospital design are:
- The decreasing numbers of general practitioners along with the increased use of emergency facilities for primary
care
- The increasing introduction of highly sophisticated diagnostic and treatment technology
- Requirements to remain operational during and after disasters—see, for example, VA's Physical Security
Manuals
- State laws requiring earthquake resistance, both in designing new buildings and retrofitting existing structures
- Preventative care versus sickness care; designing hospitals as all-inclusive "wellness centers"
- Use of hand-held computers and portable diagnostic equipment to allow more mobile, decentralized patient
care, and a general shift to computerized patient information of all.
HOSPITAL ARCHITECTURE DESIGN & PLANNING: PROMOTING PATIENT SAFETY
When architects and medical facility planners design spaces with infection control, safety, and security protocols in
mind, they can reduce infection rates and promote patient safeguards at every level. The goal is for patients to feel
completely at ease in a clean, safe, healing environment from the moment they walk through a hospital’s doors.

PROMOTING PATIENT SAFETY THROUGH INFECTION CONTROL

Hospital architecture design features such as bacteria-resistant surfaces, antimicrobial fabrics, bacteria-killing lights,
disinfectant stations, sink visibility, and careful engineering of the building’s ventilation system can work toward
decreasing the spread and rate of infection in a hospital setting. According to the World Health Organization, the
leading contributors to improved patient health safety are educating healthcare workers on handwashing hygiene
and displaying hand hygiene reminders in the workplace. These additional recommendations can also reduce risks:

BACTERIA RESISTANT FINISHES

The first line of defense against HAIs are bacteria-resistant finishes. Most HAIs are caused by unsanitary conditions
in patient rooms or failure to follow proper sanitation procedures. When patients move around their rooms or when
they are moved around the hospital for x-rays, tests, etc., they touch the surfaces of handrails, tables, chairs, and
door handles. Using building materials that have been coated or impregnated with copper has been shown to reduce
infection rates in hospitals, as copper has antimicrobial properties. Using copper oxide-impregnated bed sheets,
pillowcases, scrubs, and hospital gowns can also help reduce the spread of infection.

LIGHTNING
Indigo LED lighting can help disinfect the air and surfaces. Molecules in bacteria absorb the 405-nanometer
wavelength light, which causes a chemical reaction inside of the cells and kills the bacteria. When HMC Architects
designed Henderson Hospital in Henderson, Las Vegas, we used indigo lighting in treatment and operating rooms to
help disinfect operating tables and reduce the spread of airborne bacteria. The lighting supplements the hospital’s
other sterilization methods.

HANDWASHING AND DISINFECTANT STATIONS AND CLEAR WAY FINDING TO THEM

While antimicrobial materials can help reduce the spread of HAIs, the CDC recommends cleaning surfaces carefully
and encouraging staff, patients, and visitors to wash their hands frequently. When you design handwashing and
disinfectant stations in every room, consider where they are located. Providing stations in a “can’t miss location” like
the room entry where it is clearly marked, you can support more effective infection control management. You can
also install signs that identify what staff, patients, and visitors can do to reduce the spread of infection, including
clear hand-washing instructions. At Kaiser Permanente’s La Habra Medical Office Building, we included signage in
every room offering helpful safety and cleanliness tips and encouraging everyone to follow best practices, even if
they have never been trained on hospital safety procedures.

ID HIGH RISK PATIENTS

Identifying and managing high-risk patients improves outcomes for others. Some hospitals have developed specific
intake processes around admission to screen out widespread communicative diseases such as severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) and tuberculosis to identify and separate patients so they don’t infect others. Clearly
identifying infectious patients on the nursing floors allows caregivers to protect themselves as well as neighboring
patients.

PROPER VENTILATION

A high-quality ventilation system can mitigate the spread of airborne diseases, such as Legionnaires’ Disease, and
remove potentially harmful impurities from the air to help ensure that patients with respiratory conditions or
allergies have access to clean, contaminant-free air. Independently operated and controlled air systems in ICU’s can
limit the spread of contaminated air from unit to unit. The ability to “isolate” units can compartmentalize deadly
infections so as not to contaminate the entire hospital. Increasing the number of airborne infectious isolation rooms
can also mitigate risks.
REFFERENCE:
https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/publications/planning_and_design_hospitals_other_facili ties.pdf

http://www.nzdl.org/cgi-bin/library?e=d-00000-00---off-0hdl--00-0----0-10-0---0---0direct-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50-
--20-about---00-0-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-800&cl=CL1.5&d=HASH011735eed341be2cce675ba6.6.1&gt=1

https://www.wbdg.org/building-types/health-care-facilities/hospital

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/documents/254/wardlayouts.pdf
https://healthfacilityguidelines.com/ViewPDF/ViewIndexPDF/iHFG_part_c_space_standards_dimensions

https://healthfacilityguidelines.com/ViewPDF/ViewIndexPDF/iHFG_part_b_complete

https://healthcarearchitecture.in/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Hospital-Design-Guide.pdf

FOR MORE INFO:

https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/45442/InTech%20Hospital_outdoor_landscape_design.pdf

https://uihealthcare.org/sites/default/files/uihc_arc_eng_design_standards_november2016.pdf

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/10674943/the-general-hospital-buildingguidelines-for-new-buildings

https://www.paho.org/disasters/dmdocuments/HospitalsDontBurn%20(1).pdf

https://www.graphicproducts.com/articles/fire-
exits/https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/emergency-exit-routes-factsheet.pdf
https://www.lenus.ie/bitstream/handle/10147/555656/firesafetyhospitaldesign.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://www.hfmmagazine.com/articles/2260-hospital-plumbing-systems

http://dea.unsj.edu.ar/ihospitalarias/ASPE_Vol3_Chapter2.pdf

https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/41/081/41081618.pdfhttp://property.mq.edu.au/spacty
pes/staff_spaces/multi_purpose_space#:~:text=Multipurpose%20spaces%20are%20most%20suitable,specific%20thi
rd%20party%20guest%20presentations.

https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/administrative-office

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/conference-room

https://www.wgu.edu/career-guide/healthcare/chief-nursing-officer career.html

https://statements.eahp.eu/about/what-hospital-pharmacy