The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released The Health Care Facility Design Safety Risk Assessment Toolkit for facility designers.
It focuses on helping designers ensure that their healthcare facilities effectively support workflow and procedures as well as promote patient and staff safety.
The toolkit targets six areas of safety: infections, falls, medication errors, security, injuries of behavioral health and patient handling. It also addresses 200 potential environmental considerations the built design, and it can be used as a quality check tool.
The toolkit includes evidence-based approaches to identify solutions, processes aimed at mitigating risks and a discussion prompt for multidisciplinary teams, which can include architects and designers as well as clinicians, facility managers and risk managers.
A 'Superbug' Is on the Rise in Hospitals
The Next Generation of Security Tech in Healthcare Facilities
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of St. Petersburg Opens
Why More Facilities are Adding Gender Neutral Restrooms
Massachusetts Hospital Cyberattack Reflects Growing Vulnerability in Healthcare Systems