Driving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Decisions: The Modern Clinical Laboratory

DESCRIPTION:

When most architects think of hospital design, they envision bed towers, emergency departments and operating rooms. But at the heart of nearly every diagnosis and treatment is the modern clinical lab. These hospital laboratories house hundreds, and often thousands, of specialty equipment items, numerous chemicals, biowaste and highly trained professionals with diverse needs. Strict control of temperature and humidity are necessary for accurate testing results. Proper room pressurization and high ventilation rates are important for personnel safety and comfort. Secure sample handling and containment of pathogens is paramount. This AIA Academy of Health session covers crucial early design decisions, such right sizing the program, adjacencies and paths for specimen, personnel, supply and waste flow, and how these topics can make or break the lab’s turnaround time (TAT), quality of patient care and overall profitability of the laboratory. Participants will also learn about clinical lab drivers and gain understanding of the science behind the design. Example projects will be provided to inform participants about the types of clinical labs, trends and design solutions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

After participating in this webinar attendees will:

• Identify key drivers that shape the modern clinical lab.
• Understand how adjacencies, samples, personnel, supply, and waste patterns drive the success of the clinical lab and protect the health and safety of patients and healthcare workers.
• Grow in the knowledge of clinical lab trends and new design standards to help with critical care such as secure sample handling and containment of pathogens.
• Understand the science behind the diagnosis process to better understand the unique and complex requirements of the clinical lab and technicians.

EDUCATION LEVEL:

 Intermediate

IDEAL AUDIENCE
This session is part of the Healthcare Essential Series by the Academy of Architecture for Health.  The web-based 60-minute seminar provide millennial members starting out in healthcare-centric practices exposure to healthcare design fundamentals and a refresher course for experienced healthcare architects and planners.

SPEAKERS:

HERA laboratory planners

Matt Willmus, NCARB
HERA laboratory planners

MODERATOR: