Research Outline

Modular Medical Facilities

Goals

To identify modular or pre-fabricated medical facilities by looking at the required specifications or requirements to meet medical protocols.

Early Findings

Temecula Valley Hospital

  • Temecula Hospital was constructed modularly, "with prefabricated operating room ceilings, exterior wall panels, roof sections, patient room toilets, and mechanical plumbing racks."
  • This resulted in the hospital being considered as the "fastest and most cost-effective hospital ever built in California."
  • The hospital space was utilized "to benefit the patient and staff experience." Three rooms in one bay were created instead of the usual "two patient rooms in one bay," which made this hospital as having the "lowest area-to-bed ratio of any hospital in the state."
  • Departmental boundaries were also dissolved "to enhance patient care and improve workflow and productivity."
  • "Instead of a traditional 'racetrack' design (which circles the nursing station), a patient-centric design that distributes core support areas into hubs along a main corridor" was constructed.

Henderson Hospital

  • This hospital, constructed in 27 months, made use of "prefabricated operating room ceilings, exterior wall panels, patient room toilets, and mechanical plumbing racks, as well as underground electrical main feeds."
  • Having patient satisfaction as the key driver in the construction of this hospital, "private patient rooms and solutions that reduce noise and limit the spread of bacteria" were constructed.
  • "Silver ion-infused countertops in patient care areas, antimicrobial coatings on door handles, and indigo lighting in the surgery department to help reduce bacteria" were also incorporated "to promote patient healing and reduce the spread of germs."
  • This hospital is a "214-bed acute healthcare facility that offers emergency care, women’s services, surgical services, and comprehensive care."