Identifying Built Environment Risk Factors to Provider Workflow and Patient Safety Using Simulation-Based Evaluation...

This study aimed to identify latent conditions in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) by analyzing characteristics of flow disruptions (FD) during a simulation of a three-phased scenario.

The built environment of healthcare facilities contributes to FD that can lead to clinical errors and patient harm. In the facility design process, there is an opportunity to identify built environment features that cause FD and pose safety risks. Simulation-based evaluation of proposed designs may help in identifying and mitigating safety concerns before construction and occupancy.

During design development for a new 400-bed children's hospital, a series of simulations were conducted using physical mock-ups in a large warehouse. A three-phased scenario, (1) admission and intubation, (2) cardiac arrest, and (3) bedside surgery involving a cannulation to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, was conducted in a PICU room mock-up. Each scenario was video recorded from four angles. The videos were systematically coded to identify FD.

Analysis identified FDs in three ICU zones: respiratory therapists (RT) zone, nurse zone, and head of the patient. Challenges in these zones were related to spatial constraints in the RT zone and head of the bed, equipment positioning in the RT zone and nurse zone, and impeded visibility related to the location of the boom monitor in the nurse zone.

Simulation-based evaluation of prototypes of patient care spaces can help identify characteristics of minor and major FD related to the built environment and can provide valuable information to inform the iterative design process.