Newswise — The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) will present the ICU Design Citation to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Inova Children’s Hospital in Virginia, during the 2017 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, Houston, May 22-25.
The PICU is part of a new $400 million, 660,000-square-foot building on the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. The 12-story building opened in 2016 as the home for the children’s hospital, as well as Inova Women’s Hospital.
The only PICU in Northern Virginia, the unit is designed to reduce anxiety and has a bright and inviting atmosphere, featuring beach- and ocean-themed artwork. The unit has 26 beds, including eight cardiac intensive care unit beds. It also has two negative pressure rooms to isolate patients with airborne diseases.
Patient rooms are approximately 320 square feet each, large enough so that patients can receive complex care, such as bedside surgical procedures, ECMO and CRRT, without being transported to another location. Adjustable booms allow rooms to be arranged in many different configurations, with 360-degree access based on patient need and bed size/type.
Each room also has designated patient, family and caregiver spaces, and parents are encouraged to remain in the room while their child is receiving care. For staff, in-room work areas are readily equipped with a barcode scanner and other equipment, and they can use workstations outside every room to chart nearby without disturbing patients and families.
Within the PICU, a family lounge includes space to prepare food, eat and relax, as well as a playroom, workspaces and a bathroom with showers for adults. The unit also has a Ronald McDonald Family Room for families, with a coffee maker, microwave, computer stations and comfortable seating. Extended family and friends are welcome to gather in a large waiting room outside the unit.
Four team workstations, including a dedicated Resident Team Station, are located throughout the unit so every patient room is visible from a nearby workstation.
The PICU also includes a staff lounge, training and meeting rooms, and designated office space for the medical director, nursing director and other staff.
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 care delivery.
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 half a million acute and critical care nurses and has more than 200 chapters throughout the United States. 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.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4109; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; www.facebook.com/aacnface; www.twitter.com/aacnme
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