With experience on five complex NICU renovations and expansion projects in the past six years, HCM has identified several design considerations that prioritize patient-centered care and family involvement. By engaging our clinical strategists to collaborate with nursing staff early in the design process, we develop evidence-based facility solutions that support efficient and effective clinical operations. Learn more about this from HCM’s Rhonda Wyskiel, RN, MSN and Tracey Graham, DNP.

  1. Provide private rooms to support in-rooming for families and allow for more direct and personal rounding. Click for Research
  2. Position family areas, doors, and windows to provide visual privacy and control for promoting skin-to-skin contact and lactation support. Click for Research
  3. Provide individualized controls for lighting, sounds, and views to nature to address the complex variety of patient types and concerns. Click for Research
  4. Define zones for clean, dirty and other nursing care in the room without interfering with family zones.
  5. Create communal and private family spaces to allow for multiple levels of interaction and support.
  6. Include space for staff to find respite and meaningful interaction with teammates away from direct patient care. Click for Research
  7. Locate nursing work areas and patient care spaces correctly to minimize unnecessary patient movement and excess travel distance.
  8. Run tests and drills to develop a change management plan to help staff feel prepared and ready for transition.