ER at a DC hospital being specially built for future emergencies

Patient Safety Monitor Alert

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March 5, 2008

Washington (DC) Hospital Center is constructing a new emergency room (ER) with the help of a $2.2 million grant from the government, reports Reuters. The ER will prepare for future threats such as pandemic situations, many casualties from natural disasters, and boosting infection control efforts. Also, the ER is being designed to handle a larger capacity than ERs around the country can currently handle.

Specific improvements include 10 new patient bays, which can each accommodate three beds. Sterilized air will be pumped into the facility and air will be changed from the inside to outside up to 25 times per hour. Most ERs currently change air 10 times per hour. Surfaces that do not serve as good breeding grounds for infections, such as Corian, are being installed in often touched places, such as locations patients reach to steady themselves. Sensors will be installed in rooms, so that when anyone enters or exits, he or she is pointed toward the sink to wash his or her hands.

To read more on this future ER, click here.