Medical Construction & Design

MAY-JUN 2016

Medical Construction & Design (MCD) is the industry's leading source for news and information and reaches all disciplines involved in the healthcare construction and design process.

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Finding the perfect fl oor- ing solution in healthcare environments these days can seem almost impossible. With manufacturers providing solutions for designers to cre- ate unlimited design options and pattern capabilities, the performance and maintenance criteria is more crucial than ever. Fortunately, Evidence- Based Design criteria has been gathered in recent years around the fl ooring materials and their contribution to im- proved outcomes. These tools can help designers prioritize the best solution for a particu- lar facility's needs. Flooring is often the start- ing point for a projects' mate- rial and color palette selection. Therefore, understanding product attributes, cost, maintenance and performance criteria is necessary early in the selection process. Health- care facility owners, operators and users base fl ooring deci- sions on more than just the aesthetic. Flooring solutions are now driven by the ability to align with Evidence-Based Design goals around patient and caregiver safety, opera- tional ef ciencies and fi nancial performance. Collectively, while all of these elements are impor- tant in the selection process, successfully fi nding a one- size-fi ts-all solution can be challenging. It is important to understand which elements of performance, cost, main- tenance or aesthetic are most important to the owner in order to fi nd the product that more appropriately responds to the dif erent priorities. Organizing priorities Executive leadership teams typically present a list of com- mon must-haves in regard to fl ooring products and applica- tions: > How can fl ooring help re- duce slips, trips and falls? > What is the average length of time it takes to clean a pa- tient room/turnover between patients? Can that time be improved? > What are the fi rst-time costs of a product versus the long-term lifecycle costs of the maintenance? > How can a fl ooring selection improve the overall patient experience? Facility leadership teams are often interested in under- standing performance and maintenance criteria for dif- ferent types of applications: > Will the dif erent types of patient, public and staf spaces in the hospital use the same types of fl ooring products for facility consistency? Healthcare fl ooring trends that support needs of staf , visitors Balancing Act Spotlight flooring BY KRISTIN LEDET | PHOTOS BY BRAD FEINKNOPF FLOORING continued on page 25 >> ADDING VARIETY Different materials can be utilized to separate traffi c fl ow from waiting areas and provide more acoustical privacy. 22 Medical Construction & Design | M AY/ J U N E 2016 | MCDM AG.COM

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