Renovating Healthcare IT


Book Description

Healthcare IT is under tremendous pressure in today’s environment: Budgets are shrinking; staff are in short supply; cloud, mobile, and data are driving expansion and innovation. Consumer expectations are high while agility and speed to market for many HIT organizations is low. The exponential growth of data sources and the need to empower healthcare with data-driven intelligence is pushing capabilities. The words "digital transformation" are infused in just about every discussion and serve to amplify organizational expectations of IT. In this environment, IT departments have to retool, rethink, and revise their way of operating. Few have the option of starting from scratch; the vast majority of organizations have built IT functions over decades. Now, it’s time to remodel and renovate for the future. This book walks the reader through the process of determining what type of IT function they have today and what they’ll need tomorrow. It discusses how to assess and analyze IT capabilities and then develop and implement a plan to renovate in place. By retooling now, the IT function can successfully meet the growing demands of the organization in the future. When approached in a planful manner, this process of renovating can energize the entire organization and help foster innovation and transformation along the way.




Leading Healthcare IT


Book Description

Healthcare IT is a complex and rapidly evolving field. Success in this arena requires the ability to create a vision, set a strategy, foster collaboration, develop a plan and execute flawlessly every day. This book provides a clear, concise roadmap for professionals who currently manage, direct or oversee healthcare IT. Through case studies and examples, the author includes highly relevant topics such as delivering and communicating HIT values, managing information security, and connectivity challenges, as well as organizational strategy, alignment and vision of HIT, risk management, performance management and process improvement using Lean methodologies.




Practical Healthcare Epidemiology


Book Description

A clear, hands-on outline of best practices for infection prevention that directly improve patient outcomes across the healthcare continuum.




Hospital Architecture


Book Description

This book has attempted to devise a common language for hospital planning, programming, architecture, engineering and construction. A complete hospital project should be based upon a series of clear tasks and a straightforward schedule that is understood by the hospital, consultant, architect, engineer and contractor. An important feature of this book is the presentation of operational programming ratios. The use fo these ratios as a basis for sizing hospital department would give all of us a common method of re- viewing hospital utilization. Enormous differences in size, ranging from 600 to 1,200 gross square feet per bed, of hospitals in the same community should not exist. A baseline measurement is needed for all hospitals in order to assure quality space for the patient and to contain excessive facility cost based upon department wish- lists.




Construction Management of Healthcare Projects


Book Description

A complete, practical guide to managing healthcare facility construction projects Filled with best practices and the latest industry trends, Construction Management of Healthcare Projects describes the unique construction requirements of hospitals, including building components, specialized functions, codes, and regulations. Detailed case studies offer invaluable insight into the real-world application of the concepts presented. This authoritative resource provides in-depth information on how to safely and successfully deliver high-quality healthcare construction projects on time and within budget. Coverage includes: Regulations and codes impacting hospitals Planning and predesign Project budgeting Business planning and pro formas Healthcare project financing Traditional delivery methods for healthcare projects Modern project delivery methods and alternate approaches The challenges of additions and renovations Mechanical and electrical systems in hospitals Medical technology and information systems Safety and infection control Commissioning of healthcare projects Occupying the project The future of healthcare construction




Improving Healthcare with Better Building Design


Book Description

Copublished with the Center for Health Design The research is now conclusive--the design of the healthcare environment greatly influences patient satisfaction, employee performance, clinical outcomes, and operational efficiency. Incorporate proven design innovations into your new construction or renovation plans. Based on the work of The Center for Healthcare Design (CHD), this book provides the latest information on evidence-based design from the experts at the forefront of healthcare design research. The authors use actual results from pioneering organizations to illustrate the impact of evidence-based design on medical outcomes, safety, and the bottom line. Learn how to use design to: Earn patient loyalty and improve satisfaction Improve outcomes by reducing patient stress Increase staff effectiveness and loyalty Reduce patient falls and hospital-acquired infections Foster cultural change in your organization The book also includes advice from hospital CEOs who used evidence-based design principles to build extraordinary facilities. Their stories will educate and inspire you to not just build a new structure but create the optimal healing environment for patients, staff, and visitors.




Planning, Renovating, Expanding, and Constructing Library Facilities in Hospitals, Academic Medical Centers, and Health Organizations


Book Description

Get the tools to meet the challenge of building or renovating a library! The challenge of renovating or constructing a library requires organizational skill, resourcefulness, creativity, and willingness to compromise. Planning, Renovating, Expanding, and Constructing Library Facilities in Hospitals, Academic Medical Centers, and Health Organizations presents thirteen insightful case studies revealing how many libraries have been have been built or renovated using innovations designed to meet a specific organization's needs. Each study plainly highlights objectives, methods, results, and conclusions, and reviews the design of the completed library. Ideas and approaches are presented clearly, showing the designing, refurbishing, and refurnishing of existing library space; the merging of library collections and services; and the construction of multimillion dollar library buildingswith each study explaining proven strategies which can be used or adapted to fit the reader's own circumstances. Planning, Renovating, Expanding, and Constructing Library Facilities in Hospitals, Academic Medical Centers, and Health Organizations explains the steps in the planning process, including needs analysis, goal setting, and public relations, as well as the practical considerations of packing and unpacking. The contributors are noted library authorities intimately involved in every facet of the construction procedure and cost accounting, and the book includes helpful photographs, illustrations, tables, and appendices to clarify and help practicing librarians and library students alike fully understand the strategies needed to create a functional library facility that fulfills expectations. Planning, Renovating, Expanding, and Constructing Library Facilities in Hospitals, Academic Medical Centers, and Health Organizations includes case studies of: a resource library moved into a basement renovations to the Osler Library at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec construction of the Booker Health Services Library at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center a merger of two libraries at Trinitas Hospital, Elizabeth, New Jersey the renovation of a small hospital library designing a new library in a historic naval hospital the Hope Fox Eccles Clinical Library Renovation Project expansion and renovation of the Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins University and much more! Planning, Renovating, Expanding, and Constructing Library Facilities in Hospitals, Academic Medical Centers, and Health Organizations is an insightful resource for educators, students, and librarians of all types.




Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities 2014


Book Description

This product of the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) provides minimum standards for design and construction of hospitals and outpatient facilities. The standards for long- term care facilities will appear in a new document for 2014; please see the entry for Guidelines for Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities. Included in the Guidelines for Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities is information on the planning, design, construction, and commissioning process and facility requirements for both hospitals and outpatient facilities. Included are general hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and rehabilitation facilities as well as new chapters on children's and critical access hospitals. Outpatient facilities covered include primary care facilities; outpatient surgery facilities; birth centers; urgent care centers; mobile units; outpatient psychiatric and rehabilitation centers; facilities for endoscopy, dialysis, and cancer treatment; and a new chapter on dental facilities. In addition, the 2014 Guidelines includes new material on safety risk assessments and medication safety zones; increased requirements for commissioning infrastructure systems; and updated requirements for surgery, imaging, endoscopy, and dialysis facilities as well as primary care facilities and freestanding emergency facilities.




Microbiomes of the Built Environment


Book Description

People's desire to understand the environments in which they live is a natural one. People spend most of their time in spaces and structures designed, built, and managed by humans, and it is estimated that people in developed countries now spend 90 percent of their lives indoors. As people move from homes to workplaces, traveling in cars and on transit systems, microorganisms are continually with and around them. The human-associated microbes that are shed, along with the human behaviors that affect their transport and removal, make significant contributions to the diversity of the indoor microbiome. The characteristics of "healthy" indoor environments cannot yet be defined, nor do microbial, clinical, and building researchers yet understand how to modify features of indoor environmentsâ€"such as building ventilation systems and the chemistry of building materialsâ€"in ways that would have predictable impacts on microbial communities to promote health and prevent disease. The factors that affect the environments within buildings, the ways in which building characteristics influence the composition and function of indoor microbial communities, and the ways in which these microbial communities relate to human health and well-being are extraordinarily complex and can be explored only as a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem by engaging the fields of microbial biology and ecology, chemistry, building science, and human physiology. This report reviews what is known about the intersection of these disciplines, and how new tools may facilitate advances in understanding the ecosystem of built environments, indoor microbiomes, and effects on human health and well-being. It offers a research agenda to generate the information needed so that stakeholders with an interest in understanding the impacts of built environments will be able to make more informed decisions.




The Complete Guide to Renovating Older Homes


Book Description

Old homes come with a character unmatched by recently built houses on the market The craftsmanship is often more distinct, the architectural elements more refined, the wood floors and trims more detailed, and the structure more solid and settled. A certain amount of renovation must be done to the older homes, and remodelling your home can make it come alive, fix its flaws, enhance its interior, and even make it more eco-friendly. However, renovating can be time consuming, expensive, and nerve-racking, leaving the homeowner in a dust whirl-wind with everything that needs to be done. This guide helps you to overcome these challenges bringing you home-owner bliss. To begin, you will learn how to estimate and stick to your renovation budget, as well as some key cost-cutting techniques to help you come in under budget. You will learn what building codes to follow before your begin your project, as well as the projects you can do on your own and what you might need professional assistance on. This book takes you through the complete remodelling process from the bottom up, beginning with the foundation. The book also presents ideas for renovating your family room, bedrooms, attic, basement, kitchen, and bathroom, as well as a variety of floor plans to follow if you need some help getting started. You will learn how to select and install cabinets and counter tops, as well as how to fully update sinks, taps, appliances, baths, showers and toilets. You will also learn how to overcome the challenges associated with water, electricity, asbestos, tanks and wells, and cesspools. There are step-by-step instructions for some of the most common projects, including installing drywall, upgrading windows and doors, and installing flooring. There is a section on exterior renovations, which contains information on skylights, garage doors, sunrooms, decks, and pools. Whether you are attempting your first project or are a seasoned professional, this is an indispensable companion for any homeowner with a project or two in mind.