Care Centres at the Centre of it all

Designing and building a health centre from the ground up gives us the rare opportunity to rethink how we deliver care to our patients. The MUHC’s Montreal Children’s Hospital advocates patient- and family-centered care, and the inpatient unit care centres on floors 6 to 9 in block B of the Glen Campus are an excellent example of putting design into action.

Barbara Izzard, MCH Associate Director of Nursing, has been involved in the planning process; her focus is on inpatient activities. “What has traditionally been called a nursing station will now be called a care centre to better reflect its purpose as a central hub where all hospital professionals can do their work while seeing patients,” she says.

The specific design of the care centres will vary from unit to unit but there are common elements such as a reception area, workstations, and equipment and supply rooms. Both the reception and workstations will have computers and phones set up for individual use. One row of workstations will be set up behind plexi-glass panels, a feature which will give staff privacy to work on patient files but also allow natural light to filter through.

The units will also have team rooms and conference rooms, either within the care centre itself or at another location on the floor. Equipped with computers, projectors, screens and white boards depending on the unit’s needs, these rooms will allow staff to hold teaching sessions or meetings. There will also be several designated consultation rooms where health professionals can meet privately with families.

User groups expand, bring new insights to design

Once the construction consortium was selected in April 2010, the process for selecting user group members opened up, which provided better opportunities to ensure balanced representation across all departments. As the number of staff taking part has grown, so too has the understanding of how the new care centres and workstations will help change our delivery of care. “Members are being asked to go back to their teams to get feedback,” says Ms. Izzard. “For example, the NICU invited the transport team and the lactation consultant to provide their input.” From the patient and family perspective, members of the Family Advisory Forum (FAF) are also becoming more involved in the consultation process.

Individual workstations enhance patient-centered care

In almost all in-patient units, the plans include workstations located in alcoves between every two patient rooms. Each workstation will be equipped with a computer, desk, phone, and a chair or stool. Units will have six alcoves for every pod of 12 beds and this access to computers at various points around the unit will help minimize trips back to the care centre when time is critical.

These alcove workstations will also have windows that look into the patient rooms so that nurses, physicians and other staff can observe a patient without entering the room.

“In developing the detailed design, we’re creating opportunities to work differently,” says Ms. Izzard. “It always comes back to how we plan to bring care to the patients instead of the other way around. But it’s also about making equipment, supplies and information more accessible. Creating efficient workspaces that an entire healthcare team can use sets us on the right course to making patient-centred care an everyday reality.”