Existing space in hospitals is a valuable resource that historically has been overlooked as organizations focus on renovating and expanding their physical plants. With fluctuating workloads, rapidly changing technology, staff turnover, and limited access to capital in today’s dynamic healthcare environment, hospital leaders are increasingly looking for ways to better use what they already have. They are also committed to building flexible space when they do renovate or start from scratch.
Rethinking Parking Lots and Structures
When it comes to parking, hospitals seem to never have enough. At the same time, customers ― whether patients, staff, or visitors ― always want to park as close as possible to the their designated entrance. Because easy and convenient access is a prime indicator of hospital customer satisfaction, U.S. hospitals are rethinking the expansive asphalt parking lot and dreary concrete parking structure. Innovations in design, technology, and financing, along with careful planning, can mitigate shortages and improve customer convenience. Now with a global pandemic, parking lots and structures are also being called into action as part of an organization’s emergency response strategy.
Private Donors Continue to be a Challenge
Any healthcare organization would be delighted to have a private donor fund a building project. Sometimes, however, the donor has no interest in the organization’s long-range capital investment strategy but wants to construct a building or fund a program that is not even on its radar screen. Most institutions are not in a position to reject such donations, and it is a rare administrator who has the backbone to turn down money rather than compromise the organization’s long-range facility master plan.
Space for Technology/Communications Equipment
Hospitals and healthcare facilities must ensure a robust, reliable telecommunications network to support every form of communication. Key spaces include a technology equipment room, a telecommunications entrance facility, and distributed telecommunications rooms.
Estimating the Space Required for Central Sterile Processing
Estimating the size of a central sterile processing department based on the number of beds can be unreliable due to the wide variation in the scope of surgical, obstetrical, interventional, and ambulatory care services at any given hospital that are the primary users. However, many hospitals require only a basic instrument processing function with two steam sterilizers and one gas sterilizer. A third steam sterilizer may be provided at institutions with high-volume surgical and obstetrical services. The following guidelines can be used to develop a preliminary “order of magnitude” space estimate for a central sterile processing department. The lower range would be used for a central sterile processing function that is contiguous with the surgical suite. The higher range would accommodate a case cart system, the storage of hospital-wide patient equipment, and additional specialized sterilization equipment.
- Minimal department with two steam sterilizers — 2,000 to 3,200 DGSF (185.8 to 297.3 DGSM)
- Average department with two steam sterilizers and one gas sterilizers — 3,200 to 4,500 DGSF (297.3 to 418.1 DGSM)
- Large department with three steam sterilizers and one gas sterilizers — 4,500 to 5,500 DGSF (418.1 to 511.0 DGSM)
Note: Department gross square feet/meters (DGSF/DGSM) represents the footprint of a department or functional component and includes the net area of the individual rooms as well as the space occupied by internal circulation corridors, walls/partitions, and minor utility shafts. More detailed information can be found in the SpaceMed Guide.
Estimating Space for Parking
The space required to accommodate parking lots and structures on a healthcare campus can be substantial. When it comes to staff parking, the space is greater than that required for his or her office. The guidelines shown below can be used for preliminary space estimates. WGI, Inc. — a parking specialty firm — cites an average size of 334 gross square feet (GSF) or 31.0 gross square meters (GSM) per parking space and a median construction cost of $27,900 USD per space (2022) based on their database of hundreds of completed parking structures.