Whether it's a small flourish, like an OR supply cabinet designed to save both time and space, or a big-picture concept, like a consolidated pre-op/PACU area, every aspect of your building project has the potential to either enhance or undermine the functionality and aesthetics of your center. Here's a peek into 6 surgical facilities that believe they got the balance just right.

OPERATING ROOMS

Bringing Natural Light Into the OR
Hunterdon Center for Surgery | Flemington, N.J.
Sunlight in the OR? "It's something that almost everyone comments on the first time they see it," says Lisa York, RN, BSN, MSN, of the unique design feature at the Hunterdon Center for Surgery in Flemington, N.J. When Hunterdon's executive director and medical director sat down with builders to design the facility, which opened in November 2007, "they felt very strongly about having the windows in place in at least half the rooms for both patients' and staff's benefits," says Ms. York, director of nursing at the multispecialty center. "The facility has a strong holistic nursing philosophy, and natural light and views of nature are consistent with this philosophy." They ended up outfitting 2 of the center's 4 ORs with windows, which provide views to an open field and trees across the street. Since the facility's on the second floor, the windows don't compromise patient privacy, and because the blinds are situated between 2 panes of glass, they pose no added infection control risk, says Ms. York. "The staff love the windows," she says, since they "allow them to view the changing of the seasons in a beautiful natural setting."

Smart Storage for OR Supplies
Bucyrus Community Hospital | Bucyrus, Ohio
It's not just the additional space that has surgeons and staff thrilled with the 4-OR perioperative unit at Bucyrus (Ohio) Community Hospital — although the upgrade from 1,300 to 15,000 square feet in 2007 was a welcome change. It's also how the facility's design makes use of that extra space. "We designed the ORs with a pass-through cabinet" that opens into the clean core, says Perioperative and Specialty Center Manager Phyllis Crall, RN. The unique design lets staff stock and restock the cabinets for upcoming cases, even as a procedure is taking place in the OR. The operating rooms also contain built-in cabinets to store stretchers used to transport patients in and out of the OR, rather than having to move the stretchers into the hallway, where they can clog traffic. These little touches optimize the available space for storing supplies and equipment and also improve efficiency and patient flow.

PRE-OP/PACU

Putting Pre-op and PACU Together
Arklamiss Surgery Center | Monroe, La.
Rather than separating pre- and post-operative patients and staff into 2 distinct areas, the Arklamiss Surgery Center in Monroe, La., combines staffing resources in 1 spacious, 12-bed pre-op/PACU area. "This innovative feature provides ready care for each and every patient, as well as optimizes utilization," says Chase Soong, MBA, CPA, the CEO of the 2-OR interventional pain center. For example, if the pre-op nurse has to step out for a moment, patients aren't stuck waiting for her to return. "Our nurses are all in the same area, not divided, so they're constantly providing attention," he says. "You don't have to wait; there's always somebody that can care for you."

Glass Doors Enhance Privacy
Springfield Clinic | Springfield, Ill.
When it recently added 2 new ORs and completely revamped its admitting and recovery areas, the Ambulatory Surgery Center at the Springfield Clinic in Illinois took into account the need to accommodate a wide range of patients and procedures. "We're multispecialty and do a lot of different types of cases," explains Chief Clinical Officer Mary Stewart, RN, BSN. While some patients only need an hour or so to recover, someone recovering from a lap chole, a child who's just had a tonsillectomy or a woman who's had a D&C, for example, would benefit from the opportunity to have some peace and quiet and spend time with family before they're ready to go home. To accommodate these special cases, 6 of the facility's 22 recovery bays — all of which are surrounded by walls on 3 sides — have glass sliding doors in the front, adding an extra level of comfort and privacy. "It's a nice service, and we can still see the patients from the desk, so it's a win-win," says Ms. Stewart.

A "Warm Touch" for Patients
The Endo Center of Elgin Gastroenterology | Elgin, Ill.
All patients presenting for upper and lower endoscopic exams at the Endo Center of Elgin (Ill.) Gastroenterology are treated to the same "spa-like" experience. "It's more of a warm touch, to make people feel that they're there not just for a procedure, but to be taken care of," explains Manager Susan Theobald, RN, CGRN. Unlike in the hospital, where endo patients may not get as close attention as others undergoing more serious procedures, here they are treated to private pre-op/recovery bays with lockers and glass doors; natural lighting and outside views courtesy of exterior windows; and a soothing color scheme set off by wood-like vinyl flooring and metallic detailing. The "upscale appearance" and layout of the center, which has a private waiting room with 2 check-in stations, 2 procedure rooms and 8 pre-op/recovery bays, "was designed for the patient's privacy and comfort," says Ms. Theobald.

WAITING ROOM

Circular Lobby Improves Flow
Minnesota Gastro Endoscopy Center & Clinic | Bloomington, Minn.
The large main reception area of Minnesota Gastroenterology's Endoscopy Center & Clinic, which opened in April 2008, was "designed to maximize patient flow and relieve congestion," says Dan Erickson, facility site director. Although it's technically a single room, it's divided into several smaller seating areas to give patients and their family members a more intimate space in which to wait and interact with each other. Meanwhile, the room's "circular design creates a constant flow of patients from one space to another, eliminating a crowded waiting area and reliance on a single access door," says Mr. Erickson.

After reporting to the reception desk, patients are directed to enter either the clinic through 1 door or the 4-procedure room endoscopy center through another door. Upon discharge, they return to the main reception area through separate exit doors that lead into one of several seating areas within the room. Patients then meet with exit schedulers sitting in open-door offices just outside of the exit doors — a setup that lends a greater level of privacy to these final meetings than patients would get if they met with schedulers at a desk out in the open, says Mr. Erickson. The reception area also has a coffee bar and computer stations to give friends and family members something to do while they wait for their loved ones to return, and it's decorated with a natural elements theme to provide a soothing, welcoming environment.