| . DOTmed::Language=HASH(0x5603bdbe5a68)->translator()->translate(text=>'An Interview with') .qq|
Michael Johns of
DOTmed.com, Inc. | August 12, 2013
DOTmed: Please outline the scope of this project.
According to the Puget Sound Business Journal: Seattle Children's Hospital incorporated "lean design" when creating the 330,000-square-foot Building Hope, a new expansion that opened (in April).
Seattle Children's Hospital incorporated lean design when designing the emergency room. Designers used yarn to map out the typical patient and staff routes in a life-sized cardboard-and-duct-tape mock-up of the new facility. The low-tech testing method quickly allowed them to draw conclusions about what wasn't working and designers were able to adjust as needed. This new ER has 38 exam rooms and a new system that speeds up wait times and cuts down ER stays.
Each inpatient unit at the new Seattle Children's Hospital's Building Hope includes a quiet room and family lounge so families can recharge and reconnect with the outside world.
Each inpatient unit at Building Hope also includes a family lounge so families can spend time away from the hospital bed. Caregivers also will have private areas where discussions about diagnoses, care options and advice can take place as well as meditation and alone time.
DOTmed: How will this project help the community you serve?
In addition to being designed for efficiency, hospital rooms at Seattle Children's new Building Hope are built to be more pleasant for the young patients and their family and visitors. Special features include different colored lights for those staying in the inpatient cancer wing as each child gets to pick his or her own preferred color. Patients can also control the room temperature, take advantage of personal refrigerators and access a separate quiet room and family lounge.
