Industry News

The Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) has published their 2010 edition of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities. The FGI Guidelines are updated on a four-year cycle by the multidisciplinary Health Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC). More than 100 individuals knowledgeable about health care practices and health facility design (doctors, nurses, administrators, infection preventionists, facility managers, architects, engineers, including representatives from the CDC, NIH, NIOSH, CMS, HUD, PHS, and the VA) and those who apply the document in the field (state and federal authorities having jurisdiction and the Joint Commission) serve on the committee.

The 2010 revision cycle has resulted in a revised document with new material and updates to the language of the 2006 edition of the Guidelines. Completely new language includes material on preparation of a patient handling and movement assessment (PHAMA) as part of planning for health care facility projects; recommendations for the design of bariatric and medical oncology units and cancer treatment facilities; and guidance on acoustic design for health care facilities. A detailed white paper describing how to prepare a PHAMA will be available for download from the FGI Web site in January 2010, accompanying the release date of the 2010 edition.

Another significant change to the Guidelines is the incorporation of the 2008 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170: Ventilation of Health Care Facilities as Part 6 of the document. This merger is intended to eliminate any confusion caused by having two national ventilation standards for health care.

Additional highlights in the 2010 FGI Guidelines include:

• Updated requirements for the design of hand-washing stations
• Design information for technology and medical communication rooms
• A new appendix on performing patient safety risk assessments
• New material on selecting surfaces and furnishings
• Updated design for protective environment rooms
• New appendix on wayfinding features
• Design information for accommodating bariatric patients in the emergency department
• Movement of emergency department pediatric rooms and fast-track areas from the appendix to the main text
• Updated requirements for obstetrical facilities
• Revised organization and numbering to make similar requirements in different locations easier to find

To learn more about the 2010 edition of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities and the Facility Guidelines Institute, visit their website here.