Proposal Period Open for 2010 Health Care Guidelines

The Heath Guidelines Revision Committee, with the support of the Facility Guidelines Institute and the American Institute of Architects, is accepting proposals from the public for the development of the 2010 edition of the “Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities.”

More than 40 states use the guidelines document to regulate the design and construction of health care facilities. Architects, engineers and health care professionals also use it on a daily basis as a guideline or reference source.

The guidelines recommend minimum program, space and equipment needs for clinical and support areas of hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, rehabilitation facilities and nursing and other long-term care facilities. They also address minimum engineering design criteria for plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation and HVAC systems.

To keep the guidelines current with changes in medical practice, medical technology and the administration of health care, a new edition of the document is published every four or five years. The content of the book is updated through a consensus process that offers two opportunities for public participation–a proposal period for suggesting additions, deletions or changes to the existing text and a comment period for recommending modifications to the committee-generated draft document.

The HGRC is the consensus body that takes the information provided through this public process and develops it into the final language of the document.

“The guidelines belong to everyone working in health care,” said HGRC Chairman Douglas Erickson, FASHE. “All professionals—from clinicians, administrators, support service providers, facility managers and safety professionals to architects, design engineers, interior designers, contractors, and state and federal authorities having jurisdiction, as well as consumers of health care—need to be involved in writing proposals to improve the built environment for patients, staff and visitors.”

Interested parties are invited to propose changes—either revisions or additions of new material—to any part of the 2006 edition of the guidelines. Later in the revision process, the public will only be able to comment on proposed changes.

The public proposal period will extend through Sept. 30. The HGRC will consider all proposed revisions and additions for inclusion in the next edition of the Guidelines, to be published in 2010.

“The revision process provides opportunities for simplifying language to increase clarity, as well as for updating the document to reflect advancements in technology and changes in medical practice,” said HGRC Chairman Emeritus Joseph Sprague, FAIA, FACHA, FHFI.

During the current revision cycle, the HGRC will addressing patient- and staff-related building design and construction issues such as:
• Use of patient lift devices;
• Imaging technologies used in operating rooms;
• Bariatrics accommodations;
• Sound design and vibration in health care environments;
• Single-bed rooms beyond medical/surgical and obstetric facilities;
• Environment of care;
• Infection control;
• Health care facility engineering.

Sections of the book scheduled for updating include the chapter on small hospitals—new in the 2006 edition—and sections on imaging, emergency, obstetric and psychiatric facilities in both the hospital and ambulatory care parts of the book. As follow-up to the expansion of the outpatient facility material in the 2006 edition, chapters on freestanding urgent care, office surgical, renal dialysis and endoscopy facilities, among others, will be reviewed.

Any member of the public may propose changes on these topics or any others at www.fgi-guidelines.org. Each proposal must be accompanied by a justification or rationale explaining why it should be considered. Registered users of the proposal site will also be able to view proposals made by others.

Once the proposal period ends, the HGRC will meet to consider all proposals. A report capturing the results of this meeting will record whether proposals are revised or rejected, including the committee’s rationale for any changes or rejections. The result of this meeting will be a draft 2010 edition of the book.

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