Furniture and flooring choices offer more than meets the eyes

Healthcare Purchasing News, April, 2004 by Jeannie Akridge

The purchase of furniture and floor coverings for healthcare facilities is often a balancing act between design issues, maintenance and cleaning considerations, safety and health codes requirements and cost and quality factors. With so many decision making factors involved in what could potentially be a costly purchase, expert input is well-advised.

Design vs. functionality

Collaboration between housekeeping, facilities and purchasing is important to making the best choices in furniture mad floor coverings, said John Mateka, FAHRMM, Southeast region vice president, materials management for Holy Cross/ Mercy--CHE in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Usually in healthcare, if you have a new project, selection of furniture and flooring is done outside of purchasing. When it's outside of purchasing, it's done on a more aesthetic basis, and weighs heavily on how the product fits into the interior design of the project. This becomes problematic in that once the outside designer leaves, housekeeping has to clean it and purchasing has to add to or maintain the product line."

Standardization

Mateka advises purchasing managers who are involved in replacement and expansion projects to choose a manufacturer that is not only established but that will maintain a consistent line of products with a similar look and feel. "You're committing to a furniture line that you may have to add to later." By the same token, Mateka noted that standardization throughout several areas of the hospital can accommodate the evolving healthcare environment. In other words, as room layouts and functions change, chairs can be moved to a different part of the hospital and not compromise overall design continuity. He added that many hospitals are now using modular office furniture and cubicles that can be easily rearranged as opposed to building new offices. To that end, KI has introduced its easy-to-install Genius Full Height Movable Wall with exceptional acoustic properties; and the WireWorks Panel System, a flexible office workstation system allowing for easy reconfiguration of office furniture and power/data lines. Proximity Systems offers slim, locking, wall mounted, retractable workstations that can be adapted for computers, medications, supplies and medical devices.

Another factor to hear in mind as hospitals increasingly become more design-conscious is how to incorporate style and color trends into the facility. Mateka recommends keeping furniture and carpet neutral. "Let your color and design scheme come from wall hangings and accent pieces.

Then when you want to change design or color, yon can do that more readily."

Finally, quality and durability are key considerations, according to Mateka, because a broken chair can lead to a lawsuit, and if you buy cheap, you will more than likely end up replacing the piece within the next year anyway.

Multi-functional furniture

Today, many manufacturers are making furniture products that are much more intuitive to the needs of a typical healthcare facility. One such manufacturer, Brandrud, has gathered a team of researchers, industrial designers and engineers who have specialized in healthcare to provide input into new product development. What they've come up with are new product lines that have multiple functionalities and incorporate ergonomic and therapeutic properties. Research points to patient guests as key to the healing process. In addition, Brandrud has found that a patient's sense of control over his or her environment, for example being able to offer guests a convenient place to put their things, is equally important. Therefore the company has designed its Revive Patient Room Suite to lend a more "home-like" feel to the patient room while still maintaining the professional qualities needed for a healthcare facility. Brandrud's Revive Guest Center easily transforms from a sleeper to a sofa and provides guest storage. The Revive Display system accommodates wall-based items with hooks and holders for magazines, marker boards, greeting cards, flowers and other personal items.

Another example of customer interactive design is BraytonSpaces' Sieste design, which is a result of a partnering with a major hospital and was an award-winner at the NeoCon 2002 Commercial Interior Design Exposition. The Sieste Sleeper easily converts from a three-seat sofa to a full size bed with the flip of a cushion, and includes a storage drawer.

The Sieste design is also available in a recliner. Versions include a three-position, Trendelenberg and a Wallsaver version, which requires only five inches of space between the seat back and the wall to fully recline.

Patient and worker safety

Ergonomic considerations and caregiver safety also are important. A multitude of options exist to aid the patient in the healing process as well as to aid the caregiver in lifting and treating the patient.

Brandrud's Revive Patient Chair aids a patient in the interim process between the bed and recovery. Brandrud designed the chair to be ergonomical and therapeutic as well as comfortable in multiple positions. As opposed to a task chair that allows a user to be productive at work, the Revive Patient Chair allows patients to be "productive at sitting", that means the chair is ergonomically designed to aid in the healing process.