Fresh approach to caregiver work environments on display at Dallas event
Herman Miller for Healthcare believes caregivers may improve their communication, collaboration and concentration without the need for a traditional nurses' station. Looking beyond the walls of fixed casework, the company will unveil at Healthcare Design '07 an example of a caregiver work environment configured with its Resolve system--a pole-based, human-centered furniture solution. The event will be held at the Gaylord Texas Resort in Dallas from November 3 to 6.
The company began its research about caregiver work patterns over a year ago, and recently invited over a dozen architects and designers from around the country to participate in a design charrette. The members of the charrette agreed that the traditional solid core nursing unit is a barrier to caregivers--fixed configurations lead to poor visibility, inefficient work and staffing patterns, long travel distances, lost camaraderie and peer support, and limited mentoring capabilities.
"Caregivers are working differently these days," says Kerrie Cardon, RN and A&D consultant for Herman Miller for Healthcare. "We're seeing vast improvements in patient room design, but unfortunately nurses' stations have remained the same. We think it's important to address new types of caregiver work areas and new ways of using products to create them."
Utilizing the strengths of its Resolve system--including its 120-degree geometry, minimal components and ease of reconfiguration--Herman Miller sees its potential to better accommodate changes in procedures and staff. Its research-based design also was informed by ergonomic principles, including the factors of size, reach and movement of people.
Comfort
Caregivers face physical demands with little ergonomic support. Resolve adjusts according to individual needs. The Resolve work station at Healthcare Design '07, for example, will include a height-adjustable work surface by Baker Manufacturing and the Aeron chair and work stool. The range of adjustability within the workstation will suit a variety of caregivers and create a higher level of comfort, while reducing the risk of injuries.
The flexibility of Resolve gives caregivers control of their environments and it responds gracefully to changes within processes and staff. It may be reconfigured to a set of workstations or transformed into a retreat space--not possible with fixed casework.
Resolve also brings warmth and vitality to a workplace that traditionally feels clinical and institutional. Through the use of printed screens and cleanable 3form resin surfaces, Resolve may be used to integrate a spectrum of nature-inspired colors and images within healthcare environments.
Roger Call, director of A&D for Herman Miller for Healthcare, notes: "The Resolve system is an ideal solution for this new approach to a nurses' station. It supports clinical functions without a clinical feel."
Communication
"Nursing is about communication," says Cardon. "Traditional nurses' stations are barriers to good communication because they reduce visibility of the patient floor and limit contact between those on duty. Creating a visually permeable environment will increase interaction between caregivers and enable them to better observe patient activity."
The one-way-in-and-out pattern of traditional nursing units also adds unnecessary travel distance and time for caregivers. Resolve creates efficient work patterns and paths of travel. As the work station adapts to the process, rather than the process adapting to the work station, caregivers will reduce travel time and increase time with the patient.
Collaboration and Concentration
Resolve gives caregivers a work area that supports both collaboration and concentration. Individual workstations provide space for important tasks and rolling screens and pole heights provide an easy way to signal the need for privacy during consultations or conversations that require compliance with HIPAA guidelines.
Access to co-workers and common team spaces also are essential for communication and peer support. Work areas may be designed to accommodate teams of two or three, or a larger group space to share information or mentor other caregivers.
Adds Call: "Caregivers need care, too. This configuration will enable them to focus on their patients, rather than focus on the barriers that occupy their time."
The designs and services of Herman Miller enhance the performance of human habitats worldwide, making customers' lives more productive, rewarding, delightful, and meaningful. The company's award-winning products, complemented by furniture management and strategic consulting services, generated over $1.9 billion in revenue during fiscal 2007. Widely recognized both for its innovative products and business practices, Herman Miller is a recipient of the prestigious National Design Award for product design from the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and in 2007 the company was once again cited by FORTUNE magazine as the "Most Admired" company in its industry and included among CRO magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." The company trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR.
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