Furniture buys seem simple, but the issues stretch far beyond tables and chairs - Products & Services

Healthcare Purchasing News, May, 2002 by Karin Lillis

Side-by-side, flexibility and functionality are always key components in the fast-paced healthcare industry, from instruments used for surgery in the O.R to office work areas to the seating in the front lobby.

Consider the office area that doubles as a patient conference room.

"It's a step beyond modular in terms of movable furniture," notes Ron Miller of AmeriNet, the St. Louis-based group purchasing organization. "Rather than a specific work space, for example, office furniture on casters can be moved to turn individual offices into small conference areas, creating the ability for spaces to be used as workgroup areas."

For instance, the Resolve System manufactured by Herman Miller, Zeeland, MI, offers simple construction based on 120-degree angles for a more efficient use of materials, says the company. The design allows for greater diversity of workstation patterns and more efficient use of floor space.

Nurse workstations are also becoming smaller and simpler, notes Karen Quinton, a product manager for the GPO Novation, Irving, TX. "With the trend toward decentralized nursing, wireless technology, laptops and LCD monitors rather than CRT monitors, there is less cabling to accommodate and individual work stations for nurses now have a smaller footprint than they used to," she says. "There is a drive toward having a small workstation right outside a patient room."

Quinton reports that Novation members are increasingly shifting their focus toward bariatric furniture, items designed to comfortably support people who suffer from obesity. "Hospitals need seating options to accommodate them in public areas and patient rooms," she says.

Janet Zeigler, RN, a member of a consulting team at Herman Miller, agrees. "There is a strong emphasis on ergonomics," she notes. "More than 30 percent of the population is clinically obese, and we're seeing more and more bench-type seating [in waiting areas] to accommodate these people."

Products such as Ritz Bariatric Seating, by Softcare Innovations, Kitchener, Ont., Canada, are designed to safely seat individuals who weigh up to 750 lbs. This chair is 30 inches wide between the arms, which is approximately six inches wider than most seating systems, giving bariatric patients have a sturdy place to sit without compromising their safety or the integrity of the chair.

AmeriNet's Miller also sees a growing trend toward flexibility in patient room furniture and lounge areas. For example, instead of sleeping in a cramped chair at the bedside of a loved one, a patient's visitor can spend the night on a chair or lounge sofa that converts to a sleeper bed. For that purpose, Brayton International, High Point, NC, offers its Encounter Sleepers with a hardwood internal frame, zippered seat and back, upholstered seating. The product is also available in tandem seating.

Furniture and infection control

Ziegler suggests that hospitals ensure the furniture products they consider is constructed with fabrics that contain antimicrobial treatments. "That's a big challenge for the infection control people," she notes. "Clients want to have fabrics that look good, are stain-resistant and easy to clean. The furniture also needs to offer stable support, but it can't be a kind of support that holds bacteria."

No matter how flexible the furniture, durability is key, especially in lobby and patient waiting areas. But so is comfort. "What you put in a bank won't work in a hospital," Zeigler says. "Comfort is to come from the structure and the understructure of the fabric. If it's a mesh, it needs to give, and a foam must help support you."

Products like the Bounce made by Stylex Inc., Delanco, NJ, are suited for training and meeting rooms, reception areas and hospital environments. Thick, resilient foam padding between the webbing and the upholstery provide additional support throughout the seat and back, making this type of chair well suited for extended periods of use. Bounce chairs are also available with contoured arms, rotating tablet arms, under-seat book baskets and ganging clips for continuous row applications, says the company.

The Kangaroo chair, by Images of America Healthcare, Thomasville, NC, was initially designed for neonatal intensive care and maternity units. The chair provides a "cocoonlike" environment for mothers, fathers and caregivers to hold an infant. In addition, the chair has also found a home in post-op settings (i.e., hip replacement), according to the company, since the recliners allow patients to easily get in and out of the chair and lets physical therapists place patients in the exact positions required for treatment.

Novation's Quinton adds that a number of clients are shifting toward a healing and homey environment rather than the more traditional clinical look. "Furniture within patient rooms is now more geared toward fabric; there's use of more wood in the flooring and wall coverings are in softer colors," she says. "This reflects a general trend in healthcare as hospitals and facilities look more at a healing-type environment."