Did you know that the latest edition of the FGI Guidelines for Design & Construction is being released this month?
And that for the first time ever, it will be available in electronic format through MADCAD, an online subscription-based platform that supports compliance with U.S. building codes and standards?
You'll still be able to get the print edition if you want, but it's good to see that FGI is finally offering a digital version that's much more than just a PDF.
If you subscribe to the MADCAD version, you'll be able to access the Guidelines and other publications from anywhere without downloads or installations. You can search through multiple resources simultaneously, filter results, and instantaneously jump between them.
How much will it cost? As the time of this post, FGI did not have ordering information for the 2018 Guidelines on its website, but had outlined these different pricing structures in a recent enewsletter.
What Else is New About the Guidelines?
The other thing that is new is that the standards are being split into two parts: Fundamental Requirements and Beyond Fundamentals. For the 2018 edition, Fundamental Requirements are split into three different books instead of two: hospitals, residential care facilities, and outpatient facilities.
Beyond Fundamentals includes a collection of relevant case studies, checklists, and best practices that exceed basic requirements.
At the Healthcare Design Conference & Expo last month, I heard Dana Swenson, Senior VP and Chief Facilities Officer, UMass Memorial Health Care System; and Douglas Erickson, CEO, Facility Guidelines Institute talk about changes to the 2018 Guidelines.
They did an overview of the major topics that were addressed during the latest revision cycle and some of the proposed changes that were discussed. Here's a summary of their presentation:
Major topics:
- Design of telemedicine spaces
- Sterile processing facilities
- Mobile/transportable medical unit revisions
- Expanded sustainable design requirements
- Emergency preparedness
Hot topics:
- Design/clearances to accommodate patients of size
- Pre- and post-procedure patient care areas - flexibility to combine areas and correct rations when doing so
- Procedure and operating room sizes
- Imaging room classification system
- Guidance for when exam/treatment, procedure, and operating rooms are needed
Other notable changes:
- Single-bed CCU rooms
- Sexual assault forensic exam room
- Geriatric treatment room in ED
- Technology distribution room size
Terminology Matters
I think replacing "bariatric" with "patients of size" in the hospital document is interesting. Makes sense, because we're not just talking about overweight people as patients. It could be a 7 ft. tall basketball player.
Erickson also said that there is probably going to be some disagreement around the single-bed rooms for critical care -- especially in the NICU.
In cases where the babies have family members around, they get plenty of stimulation, so a single room works well. But for those babies without family support, a multiple-bed environment provides them with needed stimulation.
Commenting on the use of the term "geriatric" in emergency department design, Erickson said that the average age of patients who present themselves in EDs is 65. Are they geriatric? I don't think so.
Want More?
You can download slides from all seven presentations on the 2018 Guidelines at Healthcare Design this year.
And, if you want to be notified when the 2018 Guidelines officially go on sale, go to the FGI website and sign up for its email list at the bottom.
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