Design Characteristics of Acute Care Units in China

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To describe the current state of design characteristics of acute care units in China's public hospitals and compare these with characteristics with acute care units in the United States.

BACKGROUND:

The healthcare construction industry in China is one of the fastest growing sectors in China and, arguably, in the world. Understanding the physical design of acute care units in China is of great importance because it will influence a large population.

METHODS:

Descriptive study was performed of unit configuration, size, patient visibility, distance to nursing station and supplies, and lighting conditions in 25 units in 19 public hospitals built after 2003. Data and information were collected based on spatial and visibility analysis.

RESULTS:

The study identified major design characteristics of the recently built (from 2003 onward) acute care units in China, comparing them, where appropriate, with those in U.S. It found there are three dominant types of unit layout: single-corridor (52%), triangular (36%), and double-corridor (12%). The number of private rooms is very low (11%), compared with two- or three-bed rooms. Centralized nursing stations are the only type of nurses' working area. China also has a large unit size in terms of number of patient beds. The average number of patient beds in a unit is 40.6 in China (versus 32.9 in U.S.). The care units in China have longer walking distance from nursing station to patient bedside. The percentage of beds visible from a nursing station is lower in China than in the U.S. The access to natural light and direct sunlight in patient rooms is greater in China compared with those in U.S.—100% of patient rooms in China have natural lighting. A majority of them face south or southeast and thus receiving direct sunlight (91.4%).

CONCLUSIONS:

Because of the differences in economies and building codes, there are dramatic differences between the spatial characteristics of acute care units in China and the United States.

Keywords

Built environment hospital nursing planning

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Andersson

Place

Kammerud

, & Scofield

M. P.

(1985). The impact of building orientation on residential heating and cooling. Energy and Buildings, 8(3), 205–224.

Catrambone

Johnson

M. E.

Mion

L. C.

, & Minnick

A. F.

(2009). The design of adult acute care units in U.S. Hospitals. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 41(1), 79–86. doi: 10.1111/j.1547-5069.2009.01254.x

Center for Statistics Information. (2013). [The Annual Report of the Statistics Information of China Health Affairs Development 2010]. Beijing, China: Ministry of Health of People's Republic of China, Center for Statistics Information.

Huang

Liang

, & Luo

(2012). [Exploring the contemporary hospital design]. Chinese Hospital Architecture & Equipment, 4, 64–67.

International Trade Administration. (2004). China's healthcare construction market. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. Retrieved from http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/health/china_healthcare_construction05.pdf

James

W. P.

, & Tatton-Brown

(1986). Hospitals: Design and development. London, England: Architectural Press, Ltd.

Huang

, & Zhang

(2009). [Characteristics and expression of new medical building pattern—Xiaogan Central Hospital Surgical Building Design]. Huazhong Architecture, 27(1).

(2010). Measuring the structure of visual fields in nursing units. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 3(2), 48–59.

Peponis

, & Zimring

(2009, June). Targeted visibility analysis in buildings. Paper presented at the 7th International Space Syntax Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden.

10.

Luo

(2007). [Develop trends of hospital during health reform]. Architecture Journal, 10, 84–87.

11.

Ministry of Health. (1998). Architectural design code for general hospital (JGJ49-1988). Beijing, China: Ministry of Health, People's Republic of China.

12.

Rashid

(2006). A decade of adult intensive care unit design: A study of the physical design features of the best-practice examples. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, 29(4), 282–311.

13.

Sang

(2004). [Spatial arrangement and environment creation in comtemporary hospital: Design of Xiangshan No. 1 hospital]. Chinese and Oversea Architecture, 5, 46–47.

14.

Sturdavant

(1960). Intensive nursing service in circular and rectangular units. Hospitals, Journal of the American Hospital Association, 46–48.

15.

Tang

, & Huang

(2004). User friendly design in hospital: Design of Beijing Chaoyang hospital. Architecture Journal, 1, 75–77.

16.

Ulrich

Zimring

Quan

, & Joseph

(2004). The role of the physical environment in the hospital of the 21st century. Report sponsored by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Center for Health Design. Retrieved from https://www.healthdesign.org/chd/research/role-physical-environment-hospital-21st-century

17.

Verderber

, & Todd

L. G. M.

(2012). Reconsidering the semiprivate inpatient room in U.S. hospitals. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 5(2), 7–23.

18.

Walch

J. M.

Rabin

B. S.

Day

Williams

J. N.

Choi

, & Kang

J. D.

(2005). The effect of sunlight on postoperative analgesic medication usage: A prospective study of spinal surgery patients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67(1), 156–163.

19.

Wang

(2010). [Noise and lighting: An important issue in interior design of hospital]. Chinese Hospital Architecture & Equipment, 2, 14–16.

20.

Wang

Jia

, & Tian

(2012). [Thinking about Shenzhen University Hospital design]. Chinese and Oversea Architecture, 7, 95–99.

21.

(2012). [Development trends of contemporary hospital design]. Architecture, 19, 74.

22.

& Wang

(2014). Design characteristics of acute care units in China. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 8(1), 81–93.