design
Health care code requirements
Introduction:
The health maintenance and enhancement, the safety and the comfort of people in health care facilities are seriously affected if specific building requirements are not met. Hospitals are the most complex of building types. Each hospital is comprised of a wide range of services and functional units.
Functional organization criteria classify health care facility environments as follows: nursing units, operating theatres, diagnostic facilities (radiology unit, laboratory units and so on), outpatients’ departments, administration area (offices), dietary facilities, linen services, engineering services and equipment areas, corridors and passages.
Several specific requirements have been defined for each area in health care facilities:
1- Nursing unit:
Open ward: a broad room with 20 to 30 beds
The space requirements should be at least: 6 to 8 square meters (sqm) per bed for open wards, inclusive of circulation and ancillary rooms
In open wards, toilet facilities should be close to patients’ beds
Multiple and single bedrooms:
5 to 7 sqm/bed for multiple bedrooms and 9 sqm for single bedrooms
For single and multiple bedrooms, handwashing facilities should be provided in each room; lavatories may be omitted where a toilet room is provided to serve one single-bed room or one two-bed room
Nursing stations:
Nursing stations should be large enough to accommodate desks and chairs for record keeping, tables and cabinets for preparation of drugs, instruments and supplies, chairs for sit-down conferences with physicians and other staff members, a wash-up sink and access to a staff toilet.
2- Operating theatres
Two main classes of elements should be considered: operating rooms and service areas Operating rooms should be classified as follows:
General operating room, needing a minimum clear area of 33.5 sqm.
Room for orthopaedic surgery (optional), needing enclosed storage space for splints and traction equipment
Introduction:
The health maintenance and enhancement, the safety and the comfort of people in health care facilities are seriously affected if specific building requirements are not met. Hospitals are the most complex of building types. Each hospital is comprised of a wide range of services and functional units.
Functional organization criteria classify health care facility environments as follows: nursing units, operating theatres, diagnostic facilities (radiology unit, laboratory units and so on), outpatients’ departments, administration area (offices), dietary facilities, linen services, engineering services and equipment areas, corridors and passages.
Several specific requirements have been defined for each area in health care facilities:
1- Nursing unit:
Open ward: a broad room with 20 to 30 beds
The space requirements should be at least: 6 to 8 square meters (sqm) per bed for open wards, inclusive of circulation and ancillary rooms
In open wards, toilet facilities should be close to patients’ beds
Multiple and single bedrooms:
5 to 7 sqm/bed for multiple bedrooms and 9 sqm for single bedrooms
For single and multiple bedrooms, handwashing facilities should be provided in each room; lavatories may be omitted where a toilet room is provided to serve one single-bed room or one two-bed room
Nursing stations:
Nursing stations should be large enough to accommodate desks and chairs for record keeping, tables and cabinets for preparation of drugs, instruments and supplies, chairs for sit-down conferences with physicians and other staff members, a wash-up sink and access to a staff toilet.
2- Operating theatres
Two main classes of elements should be considered: operating rooms and service areas Operating rooms should be classified as follows:
General operating room, needing a minimum clear area of 33.5 sqm.
Room for orthopaedic surgery (optional), needing enclosed storage space for splints and traction equipment