The most important would be understanding infection control and
risk assessment requirements. This step is held prior to actual
construction and develops plans for things such as air filtration and
monitoring plans, movement in sterile areas, negative pressure areas,
particular clean up procedures, etc. (Touchstone, 2011). As a hospital,
infection control is one of the most critical pieces of safety to
patients. Hospitals are cost between 28 to 45 BILLION each year in
HAI’s and other preventable infections (Forrester et al., 2022). Setting
forth a building which can minimize harm reduction in avenues where
possible helps defend healthcare companies and employees against
these costs and concerns. Infection control is not only about patient
safety and prevention of disease, but also about employees. For
example, part of the risk assessment involves cleanup procedures for
areas, containment of waste and other issues that could affect the
employees that will be working in the building after construction is
finished (Touchstone, 2011). For example, lack of proper disposal of
waste could have potential for employees to be around or touching
hazardous material and expose them to harm. It is important to have
open communication between the construction workers and the
group seeking construction of the building so to avoid these issues.
After all, they could end up costing larger sums than the building
itself.
a a a If the construction of the healthcare facility does not include
the understanding and application of infection control and risk
assessments, the building itself is potentially useless as a healthcare
site.
a a a I did find an interesting article which looked at the importance
of this step in the aide of slowing down or stopping the corona virus
within healthcare agencies. I attached the citation below as a bit of a
more real-world example to attach to our learning this week. Take for
example the room layouts and HVAC system guideline operations
that all are major parts of the healthcare system (Olmsted, 2021). As
stated within the article, infection prevention and control are
essential and when disrupted disease and outbreak result (Olmsted,
2021). Which is exactly what we want to avoid when patients come
to us for help.
References
Forrester, J., Maggio, P., Tennakoon, L..Cost of Health Care–
Associated Infections in the United States, Journal of Patient Safety:
March 2022 - Volume 18 - Issue 2 - p e477-e479 doi:
10.1097/PTS.0000000000000845
Olmsted R. N. (2021). Reimagining Construction and Renovation of
Health Care Facilities During Emergence from a Pandemic. Infectious
disease clinics of North America, 35(3), 697–716.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idc.2021.06.001
Touchstone, R. (2011). 5 Healthcare Construction Best Practices for
Occupied Healthcare Facilities. Becker's Hospital Review.
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-
administration/5-healthcare-construction-best-practices-for-
occupied-healthcare-facilities.html
