Using Movement to Build Better Healthcare Facilities for Patients

The profound scale and severity of COVID-19 has driven a renewed focus on optimizing the healthcare space.

How can architects, contractors, and designers cultivate a healthcare environment that’s safe, convenient, and versatile?

There are many factors, but one is certain to play an important role: movement.

Let’s explore a few ways how movement can help improve the patient experience within healthcare facilities.

Productivity

Productivity in healthcare is different from traditional business. In healthcare, a smooth and productive operation means treating patients quickly and properly.

More medical environments are employing dual-access compartments in patient rooms. These compartments count on two-way slides like the Accuride 0363 to improve accessibility and productivity.

Two-way server stations are one way to improve productivity. More medical environments are employing two-way compartments in patient rooms. A nurse can drop medication from a hallway, which the patient can access from within his or her room.

Two-way and full-extension slides, such as the Accuride 0363, make this possible. Full-travel on both sides means no loss in accessibility, either. (You can even find these slides installed in the latest medical carts.)

Accessibility

Speaking of accessibility, slides play a major role in easing access throughout healthcare facilities.

Linear tracks systems, such as the Accuride 116RC, support sliding doors with minimal pull-force.

Regular readers of the Accuride Blog will be familiar with our work in the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. This state-of-the-art medical center employed Accuride 116RC Heavy-Duty Linear Track Systems on its room doors in order to improve accessibility for patients.

Comprised of corrosion-resistant and low-maintenance components, the 116RC is an ADA-compliant heavy-duty solution for moving large panels, screens, and doors. The 116RC requires less than five pounds of pull-force for applications up to nearly 800 lbs.

Low-Contact Surfaces

Handles and knobs may be common on doors and cabinets, but they can also be nests for bacteria. This is an even more pressing danger for patients suffering from compromised immune systems.

The Accuride 3832ETR eliminates the need for knobs and handles on drawers. A simple press triggers a mechanism that opens or closes a drawer.

Touch-release slides, such as the Accuride 3832ETR, eliminate the need for knobs and handles on drawers. A simple press triggers a mechanism that opens or closes a drawer. This feature can help healthcare organizations mitigate the spread of infectious diseases within facilities.

Serene Space

Research shows that visual clutter induces stress, which no one wants in a medical space.

Motion-driven design can conceal and even maximize storage space for patients and visitors. This eliminates stress-inducing visual clutter.

Luckily, motion-driven and space-saving design stows away intrusive items while maintaining convenient and safe access.

Secured Access

There is a need to ensure only authorized personnel can access sensitive contents stored within medical cabinetry, such as prescription medications. In fact, many government regulations include specifications requiring healthcare facilities to protect such items. One way facilities can meet these requirements is by installing electronic access control within their cabinetry.

Systems like Senseon integrate electronic locking into ball-bearing slides. Features like Auto-Open mean medical staff can access a compartment without touching a drawer face. An auto-relock or alarm can overcome issues of human error.

Systems like Senseon cabinet-level access control integrate electronic locking into ball-bearing slides. Features like Auto-Open mean medical staff can access a compartment without touching a drawer face. An auto-relock or alarm can overcome issues of human error, such as employees accidentally leaving drawers unlocked.

Quality movement solutions can help make a pleasant, safe, and versatile medical environment. Expect motion-driven elements to play a bigger role in the healthcare designs of tomorrow.

Are you interested in premium movement solutions for healthcare? Visit Accuride’s Healthcare Environments Page for a list of models, applications, and downloadable resources. If you’re a manufacturer interested in a custom- or mass-market option, reach out to an OEM Direct specialist to find the perfect solution for your enterprise.