Facility Planning Forum - Fall Risk in Hospitals

Submitted by:  Jonnie Hanks, IIDA, VP of Forums
Facility Planning Forum

"Contribution to the Designed Environment to Fall Risk in Hospitals"

We all have beloved grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles and all manner of older family friends that we know at some point in time will be spending some amount of time in a healthcare facility, right?  We may even have experienced the pain and loss surrounding frailty, or even death, associated with “just” a simple fall.  Two of my grandparents really took a turn for the worse after falling in their Healthcare Facility  --  and it can be very heartbreaking to watch.

That’s just one reason why hospital facility managers, administrators and designers are looking more closely at recent research which examines how patient room design affects falls within the hospital environment.

"Multiple issues need to be considered while making decisions about healthcare interiors. Nowhere is this more evident than in the design of the patient room," stated Margaret Calkins, Ph.D., M Arch, EDAC, senior research scientist, IDEAS Institute. "Design decisions about the room layout, flooring, lighting, finishes, and furniture, impact a range of healthcare outcomes for patients such as patient satisfaction, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), patient falls and medical errors. With reimbursement tied increasingly to these hospital-acquired conditions and patient satisfaction, hospital owners and administrators are paying a lot of attention to the factors that impact these outcomes, including the design of the built environment and the design of patient rooms."
The Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) is responsible for the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities that is used as code in over 40 states by facilities, designers, and authorities for the design and construction of new and renovated healthcare facilities. The IDEAS Institute is a nonprofit organization that seeks to be a premier resource of information and environment-behavioral research centered on improving care and quality of life for elders.

A new free research report explores how the design and arrangement of hospitals and particularly patient rooms affects the chances that a patient will fall and be injured during a hospital stay. Contribution of the Designed Environment to Fall Risk in Hospitals, is now available in The Center for Health Design's Knowledge Repository thanks to support from The Facility Guidelines Institute and IDEAS Institute. 

Sources:

http://www.healthdesign.org/chd/research/references/contribution-designed-environment-fall-risk-hospitals
http://www.fgiguidelines.org/index.php
http://www.ideasinstitute.org/

Technology and Collaboration in the Workplace

submitted by:  Wendy Heller, LEED AP, Steelcase Workplace Consultant
2013 February Partner benefit



It's not news to say that Technology is changing the way we work.  What is
interesting is that because of the way work is changing, we as designers need to
stay up to date on those changes so that we can better design spaces that
enfranchise that work.

Disruptive technologies, such as the iPad and other tablets, have made an enormous
impact on our lives and on our work. One blogger for HBR calls this "the
webification of life"  meaning that we are all connected, all the time, anywhere we
are.  There are now vast amounts of computing power available to individuals and
small businesses from "the cloud" and there's no longer a need to put all that power
in a stationary device.

Changing technology will continue to change how we design workplaces - as devices
become smaller and more powerful, we need different types of spaces to accommodate
those changes.  Technology has enabled mobility which is one reason why so many
traditional workstations are sitting empty.

When IBM conducted its bi-annual CEO study in 2010, they found a significant shift
in the role technology is playing in both simplifying and complicating our lives and
our work.  In 2004, it was an issue, but ranked 6th on the list of external factors
that impact businesses.  Today, it ranks second, right behind market factors.  So
technology is becoming more than just a tool to help us work faster, better,
smarter.  It's becoming a major force in accelerating the flow of information, that
can both help us find better data, and also hinder us when we get inundated.  In
some ways it's both a blessing and a curse.

Technology is always on, and consequently, so are we!  Consider the list of
technology today that didn't exist just 10 years ago: Wi-Fi, YouTube, Facebook, GPS,
iPad, iPhone, Twitter, online music, books and movie, and more. Internet use has
SEXTUPLED (6x greater) over the past decade and the average computer user checks 40
websites a day, and we consume almost three times the amount of information that a
typical person consumed in 1960.

Here's another example of how work is becoming more mobile, which comes from a study
done by a large tech company about remote work in the US.  They wanted to understand
workers who are "remote" or who are mobile outside of the office and what they found
is that 62% of businesses have remote workers, and of their total workforce 34% work
away from the office, but as you can see they're out of the office 40% of the time -
which means that 60% of the time they are in the workplace and need a space to
support how they work.

Another reason they're in the workplace is that even with the myriad devices and
virtual social networking tools, people still need people!  Collaboration is key to
a successful business relationships.  Having spaces where you bump into others and
build trust and networks is at the heart of collaboration.

As designers, it is our responsibility to continue to watch this trend and better
understand the relationships between technology and collaboration as well as their
influence on the Workplace.

 
Source “A Promising Year for Technology & Innovation” HBR 12/2010
IBM CEO Study, 2010http://www.internetworldstats.com/
https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_global_grid_2626
Worldwide Mobile Worker Population 2009-2013 Forecast, IDC (International Data
Corporation, which is a global market intelligence firm)

How Do you Shower?

submitted by:  Alexandra Zwicky, Novita Communicaitons for Hansgrohe
written by:  Jen Bruno, Hansgrohe
2013 February Partner

How Do You Shower? 
Hansgrohe Invites You to “Click to Pick”

It’s the first thing many of us do when we wake up. It’s a time to reflect, come up
with ideas, or indulge in the cliché of breaking out into song. Clearly, showering
plays a huge role in our lives, so it’s surprising that so many just accept a
standard set-up in the shower. Having a shower system that fits your needs and
preferences can enhance the experience and increases overall wellness. As inventor
of the adjustable, multi-spray handshower, Hansgrohe should know a thing or two
about showering. Ten years ago, Hansgrohe and design firm Phoenix Design
revolutionized the category with the Raindance® collection.  Since then, we’ve
continued our research with Phoenix Design to take the shower experience to the next
level.
Enter Hansgrohe’s new Raindance® Select products. The Raindance Select Showerpipe’s
integrated Raindance Select E 120 AIR handshower and the available Raindance Select
150 AIR handshower have Hansgrohe’s Select feature. This allows you to Select from a
variety of spray modes at the satisfying “click” of a button. While many
manufacturers today are focusing on digital operations, Hansgrohe is taking a
user-friendlier route with this intuitive, mechanical function. After all, why make
showering stressful with complicated controls?

With Hansgrohe’s Select technology, the Raindance Select E 120 and Raindance Select
150 AIR hand showers have set a new benchmark for the market in terms of operation
and accommodation of personal preferences. In order to create the best product
possible, we conducted a comprehensive study regarding what people want from their
shower. We found, and confirmed in a shower testing lab at our international
headquarters in Germany, that each individual has a favorite shower spray setting
according to lifestyle and needs. We weren’t satisfied with merely giving our
customers more choice, however: we also wanted to make it easier to change spray
modes. With the invention of the ergonomically placed Select button, one handshower
can be shared by the whole family—without sacrificing individual choice. For
example, a gentle spray is better for children, while those with long hair need a
forceful spray for rinsing out shampoo. For athletes or those in need of soothing
stress relief, the whirl jet is ideal for easing tense muscles.
Beyond its integrated Select handshower, what makes the Raindance Select showerpipe
a great choice for the shower? Its gorgeous, sleek silhouette, as well as its
practical features make it a winner. Further, its “EcoStat Select” thermostat does
double duty as a stylish shelf—perfect for holding all those shower accessories.
What’s more, with an anti-scald chrome housing, you can rest assured that the shelf
always maintains a neutral temperature, even when extremely hot water is used.
Finally, the showerpipe’s outside-the-wall configuration makes it easy for plumbing
professionals to install…check out this quick installation video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIywyJBNcug

However you shower, Hansgrohe’s Raindance Select showerpipe and Select handshowers
are sure to deliver showering satisfaction. 

Find out more about the Select products here http://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/805.htm