Standardized Patient Rooms Designed to Enhance the Patient and Family Experience

Rush's new hospital building, currently under construction and scheduled for completion in 2012, exemplifies the patient-centered focus that is fundamental to Rush University Medical Center.

This unique building shape was not designed on a whim. It evolved during months of planning and discussions focused on the new hospital's goal: to center everything we do around the patient. Hundreds of employees throughout Rush have worked countless hours to provide the design team with their insights about the hospital tower. Asked to help create a care area that will ensure patient safety and comfort and also provide efficient space for staff, employees developed a checklist of critical features.

Rush's architects developed the top five stories of this 14-story building into an innovative butterfly design to accommodate these priorities while also creating a distinctive, appealing building shape. Each of the five floors is divided in half with two equal sections -- or units -- on either side. The 10th and 11th floors will house the hospital's adult critical care units; each floor will feature two 28-bed units. The remaining three floors will be dedicated to our acute care medical-surgical patients, with two 32-bed areas on each level.

Standardization
Standardization topped the list of principles that shaped the new design. All patient rooms in the hospital will be standardized as either medical surgical rooms or critical care rooms. Standardization will greatly enhance staff efficiency, which will in turn improve patient safety by decreasing the chances of error. With supplies, equipment and other necessary items located in the same place in every room, staff won't have to take time to orient themselves when they enter a particular room; they will be able to focus immediately and solely on the patient -- which could be critical in a medical emergency. Standardized rooms also support high-quality patient care.

For example, clinicians are taught to examine patients from the right side, and all of the rooms are designed to allow clinicians to naturally flow to the patient's right side. This is just one subtle but significant way the room design facilitates the best physical examination practice.

Thoughtful Design
The desire to maximize natural lighting and take advantage of the beautiful views of downtown Chicago also played a key role in the design. The rounded corners at both the outer ends of the tower and the curved corners inside the tower will let in far more natural light than if the building had sharp angles.

The outer and interior corner areas all will be used as patient and staff gathering places, including lounges, private consultation areas and conference rooms.

The design of the new inpatient units, as well as the rest of the hospital, demonstrates Rush University Medical Center's commitment to enhancing the patient experience and giving staff members at every step of the care chain the resources they need to provide the best in care.

For more information about the other changes under way at Rush, visit the Rush Transformation home page. If you would like to contact the Rush Office of Transformation, send an e-mail to: facilities_questions@rush.edu.