The ICU is part of Penn Presbyterian’s seven-story, 178,000-square-foot Pavilion for Advanced Care, which opened in 2015. The overall design goal was to create a healing environment promoting safety, security and efficiency for staff, patients and families.
The unit has 20 patient rooms, including two specifically designed to accommodate bariatric patients. Designed around the coordinated flow of care for critically ill patients, it is located directly adjacent to the surgical floor, with direct access to CT, MRI and interventional radiology.
Its large patient rooms have three distinct zones for patients, care providers and family members. The care provider zone allows for flexible, patient-driven working configurations at the patient’s bedside that include an in-room computer on a mobile cart for documentation. The patient zone includes beds, utility booms, lifts, HD flat-screen televisions, white boards for team communication with family, and patient recliners to promote early mobility and efficient care transitions. The family zone includes flexible furniture to accommodate overnight stays, lockable storage spaces and a desk with accessible power and wireless Internet access.
Each room is also equipped with telemedicine capabilities with two-way cameras that allow patients to view and interact with care providers on the telemedicine team located off-site.
Special emphasis was taken to create stress-relieving respite spaces for staff, with a central staff lounge, kitchen area, desks, on-call sleep rooms and shower facilities. In addition to smaller meeting rooms at each end of the floor, the ICU has large, multidisciplinary conference rooms with advanced technology and video integration.
The coveted award — co-sponsored by AACN with the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the Committee on Architecture for Health of the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco — recognizes intensive care units that successfully combine functional design with humanitarian delivery of care.
About the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition: Established in 1974, AACN's National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) represents the world's largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families. Bedside nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners attend NTI.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses and includes more than 225 chapters worldwide. The organization's vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. http://www.aacn.org; http://www.facebook.com/aacnface; http://www.twitter.com/aacnme
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