Transition to an individual-room NICU design: process and outcome measures.
Redesign of a neonatal intensive care unit is a major budget undertaking, demanding accountability for its equipment and feasibility of design. It must be philosophically based and driven by research supporting best practice. The NJCU at the Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a Level III, 74-bed unit, has made the change from a ward design to an individual-room design suitable for family-centered, developmentally supportive care. This article presents the design process as it occurred. Unique to this process are the involvement of NJCU-graduate families and the use of transition teams. Guidelines and recommendations are offered to others interested in designing and practicing in an individual-room NJCU. Outcome data demonstrate staff adjustment to the new design and practice model. A comparison of this NICU design is made with the Recommended Standards for Newborn ICU Design.
Milford
Cheryl A
CA
Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, USA. cmilford@mail.magee.edu
Zapalo
Barbara J
BJ
Davis
Glenda
G
D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D006752:Hospital Planning; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007324:Institutional Management Teams; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010362:Patients' Rooms; D010414:Pennsylvania