Products

Healthcare FM: A Career for the Decades

by Eileen McMorrow

As we all know, the proposed healthcare policies of the presidential candidates are a critical focus of their campaigns. A person’s current healthcare coverage and how precariously it may be linked to their employment, influences their vote. Further, when retiring baby boomers vote, their healthcare concerns will figure in their decision as they anticipate decades of retirement albeit with some health issues.

While the economy and devalued U.S. currency have affected the workforce and corporate facility expansion in some sectors, nothing appears to be stopping the demands for new healthcare facilities. “Construction continues at a rapid pace,” says Deborah J. Breunig, RN, BSN, and MBA who is the Vice President of Healthcare with the furniture firm, KI. “Our projections indicate the health care market can just about keep up with rising demand of the baby boom generation.”

And when McMorrow Report was determining readership for this new online publication dedicated to healthcare facilities management and design, it became clear that many of the corporate design firms subscribing to McMorrow Report were expanding into healthcare design. “The major architect and design firms have all added the healthcare discipline as a growth area,” says Breunig.

Today, healthcare facilities look more like hotels. Both corporate and hospitality designers have had a role in shaping contemporary healthcare facilities. “Further, when it comes to creating healthcare environments, consumers are driving the image,” says Breunig. “The baby boomers demand beautiful environs, not a traditional-looking hospital.” And it’s the facilities managers who maintain the image after it is installed.  

The increase in the number of private patient rooms reflects how hospitals regard the importance of patient privacy, faster recovery rates, and the fact that private rooms are better for infection control and staff morale. Today’s private room design guidelines make room for the family. Hence, the healthcare furniture industry has responded with accommodations and a variety of sleepover chairs that have improved in style and function since they were first introduced.  

“We are seeing that more forward-thinking regarding sustainability in healthcare from the design of the space to the cleaning process,” says Breunig. Furniture manufacturers have to consider sustainability in their approach with components and fabric finishes. “Even though there are more environment-friendly cleaning agents in use, we still have to design furniture that can stand up to bleach,” she adds.  

In response to the call for sustainable furnishings in the hospital, Breunig indicates that manufacturers are exploring product longevity. For example, sofa-beds and guest sleeping recliners can last seven to ten years. “However, rather than discard the whole piece of furniture, the industry is looking at the chassis. Style and color will change, but the seat and back components can be refreshed,” says Breunig. “We are considering how the furniture components can be replaced in the field to avoid shipping back an entire chair.”

So what do healthcare facilities managers want from interior furnishings?  They demand safety, the ability to clean, long-term quality and function in a 24/7 environment, and good aesthetics. Healthcare FMs are savvy about what works. Before they buy, they will look at mechanisms for the safety of staff and patients. Flexibility and functionality are important and pieces must move easily.

Breunig further explains trends we are seeing in the demand for more bariatric furniture. Over the last five years the ratio has shifted. It used to be 5 to 10% bariatric, with 20% bariatric in cardiac care areas. Today, at a minimum, 20% of healthcare seating is bariatric. The industry can expect to see more styles and trends in baraiatric accommodation at NeoCon.

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Workspace for oncology

Nurture’s new modular oncology solution creates a comfortable atmosphere, enhanced by the ease of interaction between patient and care provider, that allows for increased care and monitoring. The defined modules – nurse server, island, media unit, bench, and wardrobe – provide a configuration to support patient and family needs in a warm and inviting space while allowing for better  clinical work flow and patient interaction. 

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Soltice offers comfort to all: big and small

To create environments that are comfortable rather than clinical, KI offers its Soltice line in standard and bariatric seating that is both guest-and patient-centered. The Soltice Open Arm Bariatric Chair seat measures: W30" D18.75" H19".  The Soltice Closed Arm Bariatric chair seat measures W 29.5" D18.75" H19".

Its generous proportions offer comfort to all.  Each patient-centered, family-oriented element evokes a warm, residential feel. Designed by Daniel Cramer and Paul James, the seating is available in 16 wood stains and a wide range of Pallas® Textiles, including Crypton® and GORE™ seating production products, or COM.

For more of KI’s Healthcare Seating, please visit: ki.com/products/products.aspx?sitecat=54

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Seating, for you and a Companion

The Companion Series of bariatric seating from Spec Furniture offers a fresh, softer look for a tough category. The Collection is available with or without arms, and it has a wall-saving frame. Steel frames are available in Spec’s Spectone finishes. Arms are available in black poly or wood and are field-replaceable. Wood stains are standard in chocolate, mahogany, maple, oak, walnut, wild cherry or stain-to-match.

• Bariatric has a 30" seat width and is Dynamic Load tested to exceed 750lbs
• Bariatric is available as freestanding or connected.
• Separate seat and back are standard for ease of maintenance
• Velcro-removable seat and back covers are standard
• All designs are available in one-, two-, or three-seaters—freestanding or connected
• Ships assembled as single-seater
• COM yardage is 1.5 yards for single seat and 1.75 yards for back
• Spec Furniture offers a variety of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal Crypton and vinyls through its fabric supply partners

The high-performance Companion Series offers warmth, durability and an array of options and features. Spec offers 12 bariatric models, including a design for the patient room. For more information, visit www.specfurniture.com

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Networked sound masking meets HIPPA needs
while acoustics improve healthcare environments

The technology of Echelon Corporation, a provider of networking technology that is used to create and manage automation systems, has been incorporated in a market leading sound masking system, Spectra i.Net from Lencore Acoustics Corp.

Sound masking uses sophisticated electronics to gently raise background sound levels to reduce the intelligibility of speech, increasing employee privacy and reducing noise-induced stress in typical work environments. Lencore’s Spectra i.Net system uses Echelon’s i.LON® Internet server platform to allow remote connectivity to the system to make system adjustments to the masking sound level, and as a means of integrating the system to existing LonWorks® based building automation systems.

“Sound masking is a rapidly growing segment within the building, healthcare and financial industries. Federal mandates such as HIPAA and GLBA are dictating more stringent privacy laws for healthcare and financial institutions; while in the commercial building arena, employers are recognizing the positive financial impact that speech privacy and acoustical comfort have in their facilities,” said Jonathan Leonard, Lencore’s vice president. “Most, if not all, Fortune 500 companies are very concerned with the impact on both privacy and productivity loss due to noise in the workplace. We chose to use Echelon’s technology because we wanted to bring a system to market that could very effectively compete based on cost, reliability, longevity, and ease of integration with the building automation system.” The Spectra i.Net system can be installed for less than $1 per square foot.

Research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, October 2000, found that workers in a noisy environment (including elevated levels of noise from talking) experienced higher levels of stress and lower motivation than those in a quiet environment. Sound masking has the net effect of “neutralizing” noisy environments to create a more soothing, perceptually less noisy environment than actually exists.

Sound masking works by subtly introducing sound into an office environment through speakers typically installed in the ceiling and gently raises the background sound levels within the environment to help mask extraneous conversations and limit the amount of distraction that office occupants hear.
           
Lencore’s Spectra i.Net system meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for speech privacy and is used by many Fortune 500 companies around the world. In addition, hundreds of healthcare companies are using sound masking technology to provide oral privacy in an effort to meet compliance objectives under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Speech privacy is considered by many patients and doctors to be crucial to patient satisfaction and was previously difficult to achieve in crowded physician offices.

With the backing of two federal mandates in the healthcare and financial industries, and with a general increase in securing privacy across all business disciplines, the sound masking industry has grown substantially in recent years. Masking can be used effectively in about 90% of traditional corporate businesses. Estimates regarding the market size have increased to over nine billion square feet of space requiring sound masking solutions, according to ceiling industry statistics.

According to Anders Axelsson, Echelon’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing, “The Spectra i.Net system is an example of the innovative and valuable applications that result from building a powerful control networking platform that easily integrates with other systems. The nature of the platform Echelon offers—peer-to-peer, high reliability, cost-effective, device-level communications—naturally provides a basis for our customers to innovate through applications. As a result, we are now seeing everything from automated demand response for energy management to sound masking, all built on a common platform from Echelon.”

Lencore Acoustics Corp. offers a full range of sound masking systems and products that include open platform, multi-drop networked, remote controlled, centralized, decentralized, stand alone, in-plenum, and direct field sound masking, music and paging systems. More information about Lencore can be found at www.lencore.com

About Echelon Corporation
Echelon Corp. is a networking company that provides products and systems that can monitor and save energy; lower costs; improve productivity; and enhance service, quality, safety, and convenience by connecting everyday devices in utility, buildings, industrial, transportation, and home control systems. Smart devices based on Echelon’s LonWorks products and Networked Energy Services (NES) systems are used around the world. More information about Echelon can be found at www.echelon.com

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Three-in-one environmental control

BURLINGTON, Wash. –- Dri-Eaz Products’ new EB1400 is suitable for spot cooling during summer in health care facilities and labs, or for year-round use in industrial areas such as computer rooms and sensitive manufacturing areas.  It also works well for focused heating and dehumidification.

The EB1400 – the first product from its EnviroBoss™ line – balances temperature, humidity, and air exchange. It offers one-ton cooling effectiveness with 470 CFM, plus dehumidification, focused heating and ventilation and is ductable for spot cooling and directing heat into specific spaces, while also filtering room air and pumping out condensation.  For more information, see www.dri-eaz.com/EB1400

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Hands-free door opener

CHICAGO – Technical Concepts, a designer and manufacturer of innovative hygiene solutions for the washroom, has launched the AutoDoor™ Opener, a cost-effective system that automates virtually any new or existing non-latching washroom door allowing a touch-free exit from public washrooms. 

The washroom door opens when an exiting patron places a hand in front of the touch-free sensor to activate it. Because the AutoDoor Opener is not attached to the door, the door can still be easily opened by hand.  An optional second sensor makes the entry into the washroom touch-free as well, further improving hygiene.  For more information, see www.technicalconcepts.com

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Seating for long-term care

TORONTO – Designed for both hospital and long term care facility settings, Sittris introduces Sittris PA, the healthcare seating company’s latest seating solution intended to promote both patient recovery and resident health. Both the fully upholstered and knit back versions of Sittris PA effectively “cradle” patients or residents, offering complete lumbar support. While the flex-i-back version provides relaxing therapeutic movement to enhance recovery, it also affords gentle exercise. With its welded tubular frame, Sittris PA accommodates patients or residents of all heights, shapes and sizes, and offers both an optional headrest and ottoman for further flexibility and function. The headrest cradles the neck and head, allowing the patient to slumber and rest while the ottoman offers comfortable leg positioning with two distinct angles.

Addressing the important issue of skin health, Sittris PA also incorporates a pressure relief system built inside the seat to stimulate circulation, reducing skin breakdown risks. The chair promotes positive skin health in its arm design and ottoman: the fully upholstered arms redirect the pressure frequently placed on elbows, helping to minimize the potential of elbow skin shear; the ottoman eases pressure commonly placed on patients’ heals, also lessening the possibility of skin breakdown.

Sittris PA’s design and upholstery options inhibit bacterial growth and require only soap and water cleaning, eliminating the need for harsh chemicals. It is GREENGARD certified. For more information, see www.sittris.com

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