Many people find it stressful to visit a hospital emergency room or department. However, with some thoughtful planning the hospital can design its emergency department to enhance patients’ safety and reduce stress during their visits.
Design Goals
The design of a hospital emergency department must include goals of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, expandability, cleanliness and accessibility. The department must also control patient circulation to enhance patient safety and security.
Design Elements
Design elements which help an emergency department meet its goals include separate intake areas to protect patient medical records privacy, patient care areas within 25 feet of physician work areas—especially for patients with chest pain—and using curtains instead of solid doors in patient areas to allow doctors smooth access to patients.
Security Issues
Along with general security issues such as planning for fires and natural disasters, the emergency department must also protect hospital assets—including drugs—provide a safe environment for patients and control violent or unstable patients.
Patient Safety Issues
Major safety issues for patients in emergency departments include exposure to bloodborne pathogens—or illnesses carried in and spread by blood—plus slips, trips and falls, and violence from other patients.
Safety Precautions
Emergency department personnel can enhance patient safety by following universal precautions such as wearing gloves, gowns and face masks when treating patients, immediately cleaning up spills and keeping exits unobstructed at all times, controlling access to the emergency department waiting areas, intervening with patients showing signs of violence and providing secure rooms for violent patients separated from the general waiting room.
References
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Hospital eTool, Emergency Department Module
- National Institute of Building Sciences: Whole Building Design Guide: Hospital; Robert F. Carr
- InformeDesign, University of Minnesota: “Impact of Emergency Department Built Environment on Timeliness of Physician Assessment of Patients with Chest Pain;” Kendall Hall, Demetrios Kyriacou, Jonathan A. Handler, and James G. Adams; 2008
