Description of the Hospital Layout Planning Team - Case Study Example

Hospital Layout The development of hospitals is a critical step in the promotion of health within the society. Many hospitals in existence today, all across the world were built years back, and incorporated old designs and planning. As such, they continue to compromise the process of health care services delivery, threatening the wellbeing of the society. As such, there is a need for the development of such hospitals, and for setting measures for the creation of new hospitals that meet all the requirements and conditions. Through a critical analysis of literature, and an effective methodology that incorporates scholarly articles, and highly credible websites, this research paper tackles the issue of hospital layout planning. It outlines the process of hospital layout planning and designing, and offers a distinctive analysis of the process of effective implementation of the layout. The issues are well-knit (in a systematic manner) and complemented by extensive research, which makes the paper highly credible, precise, and applicable for future research. Introduction With the quest for the development of humanity and the alleviation of disease, the society focuses on the development of the health care services. The enhancement of health care delivery demands for a concentration on the development of the medical and health sector. The achievement of success in the development of the medical and health sector is determined by the focus given on the promotion of aspects within the sector. For instance, support for the professionals within the sector, the development of interconnected sectors such as the pharmaceutical sector, and improvement of infrastructure therein is crucial. The improvement of infrastructure within the medical and health sector remains the basic pillar upon which the promotion of health is tied. Of the medical infrastructure, hospitals are of greater importance, and there development influences all the processes within the sector. Therefore, it is important to concentrate on hospital layout, which ensures efficiency in the development of a hospital infrastructure. The development of an effective hospital demands for a standard layout planning and designing, and effective implementation, processes that will be tackled throughout this paper. Description of the Hospital Layout Planning Team The complexity of hospital buildings demands for the identification of highly experienced individuals from different sectors in order to come up with an all-inclusive hospital layout. In the broadest sense, hospitals offer different services which call for different distinctive functional units (Carr, 2011). For instance, treatment functions, diagnostic and imaging functions, emergency sections and surgery functions, and the services function among others are key in any hospital. Different requirements must be considered depending on the different functional units in the hospital layout planning. If the section in question is a diagnostic or emergency functional unit, for instance, the planning must put into consideration the different requirements. Considering this issue, the layout planning team must, therefore, consist of people from different disciplines and with extensive knowledge on their specific fields of specialization (Graban, 2013). In the development of the hospital layout plan, the team must comprise of relevant bodies and experts from different fields. To start with, the layout planning team must consist of the hospital administration, the local authority representative, and advisors from the nursing and the medical sectors. While the hospital administration would offer guidelines on what is expected of the final construction, advisors from the medical and nursing sectors would offer the knowhow on the expectations of the design of the specific functional units. Moreover, the civil and electrical engineers, and an architect are equally important (Pickard, 2013). While the architect offer the plan followed in the construction of the building, electrical and civil engineers ensure the development of the hospital building following the essential details to the latter. Engineers ensure efficiency in laying down the specific details for every functional unit, which include the installation of electricity, and proper wiring. All notwithstanding, there is a need for a local body, mainly with the authority to authorize the construction of the hospital after a look into the layout planning. Studying the Demographic Pattern and the Community’s Need A hospital layout selection demands for extensive knowledge on the demographic pattern, and most importantly, broad need evaluation. The health care services needed in a certain region, the most affected groups, and the status of the people, their sources of income, and the facilities present predetermine the layout of a hospital. For instance, if the health services needed are mainly curative, preventive, or rehabilitation, there is a need to adopt a hospital layout that would offer a platform for effective provision of the services. In addition, it is important to consider the major demographics of the region to determine how to set up the infrastructure. How are the residents of the area of interest? Can they afford the services the hospital will offer? What are their cultural and religious beliefs and practices? And, how is the population dispersed? Among other questions must be answered in order to make a good selection of the layout (Graban, 2013). Site Selection and Acquisition of Land In the selection of a hospital layout, the selection of the site is important, and so is the study of the environment before the acquisition of the land. The selection of the site for the construction of the hospital is dependent on different issues. Some of the issues of consideration before site selection include the size of the hospital to be constructed in comparison to the land of interest. The land must be sufficient for the layout. In addition, communication and transportation must be considered, together with the topography, which determines the drainage. The site must be easily accessible with communication lines or avail an opportunity for installation and development of communication and transportation network cheaply. In addition, the drainage of an area fit for selection as a hospital layout must have a proper drainage, so as to ensure proper sewerage (Carr, 2011). Apart from the size, and the issue of infrastructural development, the study of the hospital environmental setting is equally important before the selection of the site for the hospital layout. The guidance of the senior architect is crucial through this process. Some of the general issues considered include an investigation of issues of natural lighting, the climate, air flow, and other issues like pollution (Pickard, 2013). For a site to be selected, access to sun shine is an issue of consideration. A proper site should not be blocked of sunlight by other buildings or trees. In addition, an area effective for selection as a layout for a hospital should be free from noise or air pollution (Graban, 2013). After a consideration of the environmental issues and whether the land is fit for use in the implementation of the hospital layout selection, acquisition is necessary. The process of the acquisition of the land involves several authorities depending on the region. However, common issues are considered. For instance, land purchasing is a common process. This process involves different other processes such as the clearance of the required money, the attainment of the necessary certifications, and registration of the land under the hospital to be constructed. In addition, where the land was previously registered for other purposes, the change of registration to the different use is similarly important (Gupta, 2007). Presentation of the Processes of Land Acquisition A Consideration of Water and Power Supply The hospital layout plan must consider the supply of water and electricity. Water and power are crucial for the operations and processes that take place in the hospital setting. As such, it is important for the layout planning team to consider these two in the selection of a site for a hospital layout and construction. On the one end of the spectrum, a consideration of the issue of water supply is important in the choice of, and the selection of the site for the hospital layout. In the hospital setting, water is used for numerous purposes and processes. For instance, the issue of sanitation, which is crucial for the promotion of health is heavily dependent on water supply. On this issue, the consideration of the placement of the water table, the adequacy of the water available, and the access to the water are importance processes (Carr, 2011). On the other end of the spectrum, the availability of power supply is crucial in the development of a hospital. The choice of the source of power supply is important in the assurance of sustainable operation. However, of great importance in the selection of hospital layout is the availability of such power supply. Electricity is the most depended on form of power supply, which the layout planning team must consider before the selection of the site for the implementation of the layout. The layout must consider the nearness of the electricity supply, and focus purchase an automatic generator for the production of electricity in cases where there might occur power shortage (Singh, 2010). Approval of the Project The approval of the layout planning is crucial for the development of a hospital. The approval of the layout selection is done by the responsible higher authorities. However, in the course of the planning, the local authorities determine whether the site selected for the layout is fit for the construction. With local bodies’ permission, the senior architect authorizes the implementation of the layout after a consideration of all the issues tackled earlier. After all the requirements are met, the layout plan is sent to the higher authorities for approval. The approval by the authorities in question allows for the implementation of the selected layout plan (Singh, 2010). The Implementation of the Hospital Layout The implementation of the selected hospital layout is the most important part of the whole process. The process demands for high levels of accuracy and precision, which are determined by the efficiency of all the experts involved in the process. In all the processes of the implementation, different issues are considered. However, the physical relationship that exists between the sections and functional units greatly influence the hospital’s configuration. The specific relationships between the functions in a hospital that predetermine the organization of the hospital layout and the architectural aspects therein are shown in the diagram below (Carr, 2011). General Hospital Relationships Considered During Layout Selection (Carr, 2011) The implementation of the layout is significantly influenced by the relationships, which also influence architectural designs, engineering concepts, and generally, the allocation of resources. To start with, the allocation of resources is done with a consideration of how the different functional units operate and the interrelations between them. The resources are determined by the roles each function serves in the processes involved in the promotion within the hospital setting. While this is the case, the interconnection between the functional units influences communication between them. As such, this triggers movement between the different sections, as people, materials, and wastes are transferred from one point to the other (Graban, 2013). These issues influences the architectural design of the buildings, which influence the process of layout selection and planning. An architect should consider the physical configuration of the hospital layout. With the assistance of the nursing and medical advisors, s/he should develop a plan of a layout that efficiently tackles all issues concerning the physical configuration (Gupta, 2007). In addition, the intertwinement between the hospital physical configuration and the issue of transportation are of critical importance. The hospital layout must put all issues connected to transportation in consideration to ensure that its implementation will ensure the development of a highly efficient hospital. According to Carr (2011), the transportation systems within a hospital are greatly influenced by the building configuration and, therefore, should be considered during the layout selection. On the other hand, the converse is true. The configuration is similarly dependent on the transportation systems within and without the hospital. With this regard, therefore, the architectural designs, the structural and civil engineering departments should ensure a consideration of the intertwinement between the transportation systems and the hospital building configuration (Pickard, 2013: Carr, 2011). Within the hospital building, communication and transportation systems should be implemented based on the interactions that exist between the different sections and departments. The transportation and communications occurring outside the hospital building should consider the demographics of the region, the topography, and the critical issues of concern such as the treatment options the hospital will concentrate on (Janvrin, Laheta, Cullinane, & Munarriz, 2012). The implementation of the hospital layout should consider certain building attributes. One of these attributes in the assurance of efficiency and effectiveness in cost of development, operation, and maintenance. A hospital layout should promote efficiency through proper staffing, and the assurance of an effective working environment. This can be assured through the minimization of the distances the staff must travel/walk frequently in the course of service delivery (Carr, 2011). Additionally, sufficient staffing, where every functional unit is well equipped with the necessary equipment and personnel. Efficiency in all the processes is ensured through strategic planning. The strategic planning occurs in the process of the construction of the hospital building in order to ascertain to reduce time wastage after the process. The different sections within the hospital functioning require medical doctors, nursing, sanitation, and technical staff, and service delivery staff, and the administration (Janvrin, Laheta, Cullinane, & Munarriz, 2012). Information about proper strategic planning can better be outlined through the diagram below. Diagrammatic presentation of the strategic planning for an efficient hospital functioning Another issue that should be considered during the implementation of the layout is its flexibility. This issue is of importance since most medical conditions change over time, and their treatment, prevention, and cure may change with time. As such, the design of the layout and its implementation should incorporate the modular concepts of layout spacing in order to ensure flexibility in the final plan and building. This would create room future expansion of the hospital to cater for medical issues that develop over time (Carr, 2011). In addition, the implementation of the hospital layout must add a therapeutic and an aesthetic touch to the hospital plan. Creating a sense of therapeutics, and an aesthetic environment is relevant in the promotion of health. These two promote the treatment and recovery processes, therefore, health care service delivery. A therapeutic environment utilizes culturally relevant aspects such as colours, lighting, and designs. These issues enhance the touch of the hospital, enhancing its image, thus creating a friendly environment for both patients and staff (Carr, 2011). Similarly, an aesthetic environment utilizes similar materials to boost the patient care, through influencing staff morale, which a direct influence on patient care. As such, it is important that the layout considers these issues and incorporates them in the process of the implementation of the hospital layout (Janvrin, Laheta, Cullinane, & Munarriz, 2012). In addition, sustainable development and operation, and a consideration of the issues of security, and safety is crucial in the course of the implementation of the layout. In the use of energy and water, the hospital must be designed to conserve both (McIsaac, 2006). In addition, the layout must include proper sewerage systems, which ensure the proper treatment of waste materials before release into the environment. This should be done to ensure the protection and conservation of the environment, and thus, sustainable development. Sustainable development works towards the promotion of humanity, through the promotion of health, and the protection of the wellbeing of every individual within the society (Carr, 2011). Conclusion The development of an effective hospital demands for a standard layout planning and designing, and effective implementation. The layout selection is dependent of different issues as discussed throughout the paper. The different individuals and bodies involved in the development of a hospital layout plan must consider, issues such as the demographics of a region, the supply of water and electricity, and the availability of land among others in the course of site selection. Moreover, after the site selection, land acquisition, and project approval, the implementation of the layout is the most significant process. Throughout this process, efficiency should be maintained in order to ascertain the development of an all-inclusive hospital that meets the set requirements, its obligations, and the needs of the society. References Carr, R. F. (2011). The National Institute of Building Sciences - Hospital. Retrieved December 19, 2014, from http://www.wbdg.org/design/hospital.php Graban, M. (2013). Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Satisfaction. New York: CRC Press. Gupta, S. K. (2007). Modern trends in planning and designing of hospitals: Principles and practice. New Delhi : Jaypee Bros. Medical Publishers. Janvrin, J., Laheta, W., Cullinane, T., & Munarriz, F. (2012). Hospital Layout Facility. New York: Center of Health Organization Transformation. McIsaac, J. H. (2006). Preparing hospitals for bioterror : a medical and biomedical systems approach. Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press. Pickard, Q. (2013). The Architects Handbook. Chichester : John Wiley & Sons. Singh, D. A. (2010). Effective management of long-term care facilities. Sudbury: Mass Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Read More