Sometimes a preliminary space estimate is needed to evaluate location alternatives, conduct a feasibility study, or develop a preliminary cost estimate for construction or renovation. Once the number of operating rooms (ORs) is determined, an estimate of the total footprint required for the surgical suite can be made using the rules-of-thumb in this post.
Cynthia Hayward
Planning an Outpatient Pharmacy: Small, Medium, or Large?
Most outpatient pharmacies that are located within a hospital or in an ambulatory care center (on- or off-campus) fall into one of four categories ― minimal, small, medium, or large. Assuming that outpatient demand has been established based on the availability and convenience of similar services and potential competition from commercial pharmacies, the primary determinant of an outpatient pharmacy’s size is the average number of daily prescriptions (scripts) that will be filled during the busiest eight-hour shift. This generally determines the numbers and sizes of rooms or areas and overall department gross square feet/meters (DGSF/DGSM). Larger outpatient pharmacies may be equipped with an automated picking and dispensing carousel, reducing storage space and improving staff productivity.
Physician Offices and Outpatient Clinics: Key Space Allocation Factors
There is significant variation in the amount of space planned to accommodate a specific number of annual outpatient visits to a physician office or outpatient clinic. In some cases the department gross square feet (DGSF) may be more than double for the same workload — even when the types of patients seen and physician specialties are similar.
What is DXA?
Bone density scanning, also called dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or bone densitometry, is an enhanced form of x-ray technology that is used to measure bone mineral density (BMD) or bone loss. DXA is most often performed on the lower spine and hips although the whole body is sometimes scanned. DXA is commonly used to diagnose osteoporosis, a condition that involves loss of calcium along with structural changes that cause the bones to become brittle and more likely to break. The DXA machine sends a thin, invisible beam of low-dose x-rays with two distinct energy peaks through the bones being examined. One peak is absorbed mainly by soft tissue and the other by bone. The soft tissue amount can then be subtracted from the total so that the remainder is the patient’s bone density. Special software is used that can compute and display the bone density measurements on a computer monitor.
Estimating Space for Oncology Services
Oncology services focus on cancer detection and the care of patients with cancer and include physician office or clinic visits, chemotherapy treatments, radiation therapy, and a variety of patient support services. Two major facility components include the radiation therapy suite and the medical oncology/infusion therapy area. These two functions may be located within the same facility — such as a cancer center.
Endoscopy: Traditional, Virtual, or Capsule?
Endoscopy typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an endoscope — an instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike most other medical imaging devices, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ. There are several types of traditional endoscopy. Those using natural body openings include upper endoscopy, gastroscopy, enteroscopy, colonoscopy, and sigmoidoscopy. Endoscopies are usually performed under sedation to assure patient comfort. In recent years, newer forms of endoscopy have been developed where tubes are not inserted directly into the body.