Key issues in hospital design, construction and refurbishment will be tackled in a multi-stream conference programme which will take place alongside the HDI (Hospital Design and Interiors), the first exhibition of its kind in the region dedicated to hospital design and development.

HDI is being held in conjunction with Arab Health, a healthcare event in Dubai, from January 18 to 21, 2004. The focus of the conference will be Project Management: The key to successful development of new and refurbished facilities. There will also be a series of free-to-attend seminars for visitors to the show.

The conference, says exhibition director, John Hassett will bring together international and regional experts to discuss how to project manage the development of healthcare facilities. 'Hospitals are unique in this field with special requirements. One cannot just simply close down a department and open it when it is refurbished. Building work and dust obviously do not suit a clinical environment, so the project management side of the process is crucial to a successful development within any healthcare facility.'

As the Middle East begins to position itself as a centre of excellence for healthcare, the need to provide hospitals offering state-of-the-art technology is becoming paramount. But these hospitals will also need to be able to adapt quickly as this technology moves on, according to IIR Exhibitions and Conferences, the organiser of Arab Health.

'Keeping pace with changing technology will be crucial for successful hospital design, construction and refurbishment,' says a spokesman for IIR. 'The changing face of healthcare delivery will have a huge impact on the way that future hospitals and healthcare organisations are designed. Developments in new technology coupled with dramatic organisational and structural changes will need to be reflected in hospital design that is modular, flexible and fully able to accommodate the system's evolution.'

He continues: 'Hospital buildings as we know them will no longer be as important as providing flexible care environments and architects and construction companies will increasingly be looking at hospital design from the inside out.

'The growth in e-enabled healthcare technologies such as remote monitoring and telesurgery will result in a system of healthcare delivery that is no longer constrained by traditional hospital settings. It will be possible to offer healthcare solutions right to the point of care often in outpatient, community-based settings.

'Designers and architects wanting to take a share of this boom in healthcare construction will need to work closely with hospital executives to ensure that all these needs are met and that the hospital's design is modular and flexible. Money saved in direct operating costs could then be invested on better facilities and equipment - something that the patients and staff can appreciate.''

Tony Broughton of the Australian Hospital Design Group - a participant which has already undertaken numerous projects in the Middle East - is of the opinion that introducing building workflow and technology into the design right at the start can help improve a hospital's operating efficiencies once the project is completed.
He adds that paying close attention to workflow issues is crucial for the workspace to function effectively.

'Providing space where it is needed especially around beds in wards, in en-suite bathrooms and between lab benches is important. Areas that have close physical working relationships next to one another also need to be identified to have a better idea of effective workspace management. For example, having the radiology near emergency might seem logical, but is sometimes not done.'

'Designers need to consider both the people that will use the spaces and the processes that will occur within them,' says planning services manager at Herman Miller, Jack Eichner.
Broughton points out that departments, which may have functioned independently earlier are becoming more integrated due to the increasing computerisation of hospital data such as patient records and the introduction of Hospital Information Systems (HIS). Hospital design needs to make sure there is ample space and access to monitors as well as recognise the changing requirements of paperless data storage.

'Good communications and IT design allows information to be easily sent and retrieved, depending on coded levels of access to medical data,' says Broughton. 'Good hospital design incorporates a wide range of computerised systems, including central monitoring of building systems, computerised record systems, digital radiology imaging and computer -controlled closed circuit TV teaching and security systems.'

Herman Miller, a leading hospital interior specialist, has found that its modular and integrated furniture solutions have proved extremely popular in the region, many of which it will be displayed at the exhibition.
Hans Snoei, Herman Miller's manager for the Middle East, says that the furniture aims to support the simplicity of facility design and enhance ease of management and maintenance.

Herman Miller offers nursing stations that are tailored to the needs of the staff that use them and come with full cable management. These stations can be easily reconfigured as work processes change. Equipment carts are designed to bring monitoring devices to the point of care and to fit the function.
Says Snoei: 'These can be adapted for emergency, anaesthesia, and computer support.'