{"id":14833,"date":"2022-01-10T12:57:19","date_gmt":"2022-01-10T07:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/media.biltrax.com\/?p=14833"},"modified":"2022-03-08T16:20:44","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T10:50:44","slug":"post-pandemic-healthcare-infrastructure-design-by-ashish-bhargava","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sh040.global.temp.domains\/~vitamind\/biltrax.mediacontent\/post-pandemic-healthcare-infrastructure-design-by-ashish-bhargava\/","title":{"rendered":"Post-Pandemic Healthcare Infrastructure Design by Ashish Bhargava"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If there\u2019s one thing the pandemic taught us indefinitely is the need for emergency and crises preparedness. The cracks and gaps in healthcare systems all around the world were exposed. At the same time, the secretive capacity of mankind to cooperate and care was brought to the surface. Today, the pressing priority zeroes down to analysing what healthcare frameworks\u2019 lacked and taking actions for a resilient tomorrow. Ashish Bhargava, the principal architect at Arcmax Architects, Ahmedabad, enlightens us with his keen observations on the subject matter and explains what must future hospitals entail. He stresses the importance of short-term and temporary facilities to fight such viral surges. He also suggests important measures that hospitals must adopt including patient segregation, switchable air filtration units, space convertibility, healing environments, caregiver\u2019s well-being, and other technological advancements.<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Overview <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last few years, India has made significant development in the healthcare segment. However, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, an overwhelming pressure on healthcare infrastructure posed new challenges for healthcare designers. Even though many existing healthcare facilities adapted quickly to this change, several fundamental alterations in design strategies can allow hospitals to get prepared for any future challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before the pandemic, there was a need for flexibility in all buildings because technological change outpaces this development cycle. However, practically, any redundancy in the design has ended up on a cutting room floor, as it adds cost and complexity, or it isn\u2019t compliant with the building standards and codes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pandemic has added to the case for flexibility \u2013 disrupting operations in each part of the environment and disrupting markets for several years to come.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The main starting point for hospital design is to have clarity of purpose. The current healthcare systems need cultural and practical changes. Thus, it is necessary to address these changes by incorporating them into the design principles. Rationally, traditional hospitals need people to be passive recipients of care and treatment. But, modern hospital design must look to harness people\u2019s resources and integrate them in the right way to manage healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the hospital has to be much more than a traditional hospital. It must be a centre for the local community and various organisations, some of which may support care and health, while others may indirectly support the local population\u2019s health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here and Now: Looking At Short-Term Changes in Design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ongoing pandemic has established that the current healthcare facilities in our nation are not designed and configured for supporting higher patient volumes. Some capacity constraints included inadequate donning & doffing space provision and lack of engineering infrastructure wherein life-saving equipment could not be distributed at volume. There was a shortage of oxygen, personal protective equipment and various other medical equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These capacity constraints needed temporary measures like pop-up accommodation, rapid deployment, and the design of alternate care sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Flexible Hospitals <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic accelerated a new trend in our healthcare system, that is, consolidation of tertiary care into large care centres\u2014 especially for inpatient treatments like brain and heart surgeries that need specialized equipment and resources. To free up beds for Covid infected patients, many hospitals were forced to abandon various treatments temporarily, hurling together ICUs with the tent partitions and installing portable fans as well as filtration devices. Managing such waves cost them their revenue stream, thus they should seek to be better prepared for the next Big One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating infectious and non-infectious zones<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of an infectious pandemic outbreak, healthcare facilities need to segregate the infectious and the non-infectious areas and create a forward triage within their building premise. Considering the need of isolating their patients, healthcare planners and even stakeholders must simulate experimental zoning scenarios & develop strong strategies for effective response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such scenarios can try to isolate zones meant for infectious & non-infectious patients whereas allowing healthcare personnel to operate as well as cater to various zones seamlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air Filtration Units <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a pandemic-proof environment, healthcare facilities must focus mainly on the containment of airborne pathogens and patient separation. Another thing to consider is adding the ability and flexibility to change air flows that will decrease the spread of future viruses like COVID-19. Whereas some years before, UV lighting in the HVAC units was considered atypical, now it is quite common. Similarly, most healthcare systems need larger and robust HEPA filtration units that have MERV 16 protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several healthcare architecture designs are considering changing the air exchange units in various areas at a moment\u2019s notice, by installing bigger exhaust ability with an option to decrease or increase flows while maintaining the humidity and temperature levels driven by their local climate. Whereas coronavirus and other infectious diseases need negative-pressure environments, most other medical conditions need a positive-pressure environment. Thus, architects should ensure the pendulum doesn\u2019t swing very far from its middle.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Adaptability of  Space for Higher Capacity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 has reinforced the need for healthcare facilities to adapt spaces and handle the surge of patients above its typical capacity. As this pandemic spread, hospitals across the nation converted their traditional patient rooms from negative-pressure isolation areas that will accommodate the COVID-19 patients as well as help to prevent virus transmission. To move ahead, it is important to expand the core of a hospital and accommodate huge capacity as they plan for future health crises. Whereas some hospitals can create huge capacity by directing their patients to the ambulatory care centres, some options repurpose their non-clinical spaces & former clinical zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doesn\u2019t matter the facility\u2019s solution, it\u2019s important to know how spaces can be used and converted beforehand. Making upfront decisions about materials and design selection with a need for the surge capacity can help to pave a way for the fast and smooth transition, in case required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthcare Worker Well-Being and Stamina<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 demonstrated very clearly the emotional and physical challenges that healthcare workers face daily. It is therefore important to prioritize the mental health and well-being of caregivers. Health care workers encounter several hazards when they offer care, which includes exposure to pathogens, infection risk, fatigue, psychological distress, stigma, occupational burnout, and psychological and physical violence. So, a provision of spaces for mentoring and collaboration must be kept. Spaces for rest, recovery, and respite are very important for the providers\u2019 behavioural, mental, and physical health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Integrating the restorative spaces in the healthcare environments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will contribute to resiliency just by giving the workers a little area for rest and recovery, whereas inclusion of the biophilic design elements will positively impact patients and caregivers. Facilities shall proactively take various steps to prevent staff fatigue just by adjusting the schedules, improving headcount and selecting materials that support their healing built environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change in Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital technology is the game-changer. Digitalizing patient pathways and introducing self-monitoring will optimise the same workflows, improve visibility, and extend the hospital\u2019s reach beyond the walls. Benefits will include a reduction in the follow-up appointments as well as patients getting timely, faster, and instant access to the specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going beyond COVID-19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking forward, hospitals need to examine how the physical environments & technical infrastructure must get adapted to allow better flexibility while responding to the outstanding public health events that generate temporary and sizeable surges for the healthcare services. Particularly, healthcare organisations and hospitals must focus over:<\/p>\n\n\n\n