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Nataaka Singleton, public relations/communications specialist with Texas Health Resources, checks an IV drip station in one of the five test rooms.

THE FUTURE isn't what it used to be.

That's obvious on the 12th floor of the Texas Health Resources Tower in Arlington, where five prototype "Patient Rooms of the Future" are being molded under the critical eyes of dozens of North Texas nurses.

The models, which were introduced publicly this month, are a little weightier than futuristic displays seen at expos and trade shows. To THR, which will spend about $345 million on four hospital expansions in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in the next few years, they embody the future of patient care in Texas.

The test rooms-and their sundry equipment, materials and formats-are an amalgam of the best ideas from caregivers and designers. Even at this late stage, they are still a work in progress.

"Better to go back to the drawing board now than be stuck with inefficient rooms for years to come," said Brian Holmes, senior vice president of facilities development for THR, which plans major hospital expansions in Plano, Dallas, Allen and Fort Worth. 's an idea lab," he said. "And every square inch counts. It's kind of like designing a submarine."

At 270 square feet, the larger-than-average rooms range from adaptable-acuity care to high-acuity care and critical care. The five rooms, three more than originally planned, were constructed with the input of nurses, doctors, former patients, field researchers, health care architects and mock-patient scenarios generated from THR's "Patient and Family Journey" program.

Some of the same folks have had a hand in the dissection.

ER and ICU nurses, infection control nurses and occupational health nurses, among others, have toured the rooms in the past several weeks, pointing out ergonomic flaws and design snags in some, while applauding innovations in others.

If a consensus calls for change, then a change will be made, said Karen Barrett, RN, occupation health coordinator for the THR system. "Nurses are thrilled to be involved in this kind of decision-making process," she said.

Infection control nurses noted that flooring in one room had to be heat-sealed to prevent potential fluid contamination, and that carpeting outside of one room also could be stained too easily, she said. Nurses identified as "dust collectors" a decorative wood bracket above one of the beds, as well as the ledging on one wall, Barrett said.

Viewing windows into rooms from a connected supply area now will have blinds that offer patients privacy after they stabilize, based on nurses' suggestions. Additionally, a medical-gas boom in one room could impede a connected patient's route to the bathroom, nurses found. So THR has found an alternative flexible-elbow boom that would do the job.

The hospital is adding new double-leaf bathroom doors that will open to allow space for nurses to help their patients. Based upon nurse and maintenance staff input, THR will use floor-mounted commodes in the new rooms instead of the wall-mounted variety, mostly because of the expanding girth of the average patient and past breakage of wall units.

The safety of both patients and nurses was paramount in the designs and changes in the Patient Rooms of the Future, which is the first test venture of its kind in North Texas, Holmes said.

"We have done mock-ups before, but it's always after construction has started," Holmes said. "This time, we started with a clean sheet. We didn't want to design a room that would drive the nursing model."

Flexibility was also an absolute must in the room schemes, said officials for THR, which serves 29 Texas counties with a population of 5.4 million. The ICU rooms can easily be converted to private rooms, allowing patients to remain in an environment where they and their families have grown comfortable with staff.

"A lot of ICU patients are 'tweener' patients," Holmes said. "They are able to get up and move around, but the doctor is not comfortable moving them away from an ICU setting."

Room designs were divided into three different areas with zones for caregivers, patients and families. The family zone includes a comfy chair and space for a sleeper sofa. "It's almost a given that someone else will be staying in the room with the patient," Holmes said. "The rooms are designed to make it as comfortable a stay as possible."

The flat-screen TVs in the test rooms will be purchased en masse, THR said. They take up less room and can be used for meal ordering, pay-per-view movies and Internet access. "Family members don't mind staying longer to keep the patient company if they can keep up with their daily business," Barrett said.

Several new nurse station prototypes were also on display, and a wood-trimmed version with custom millwork and an efficient X-ray storage area appears to be the favorite over a more modular design. New computer carts and medicine carts also were present, redesigned with ergonomic considerations in mind.

To create a less-clinical environment, all the THR models feature softer tones in flooring, art and wall colors that they believe will endure for years.

"This is so far removed from the olden days," Barrett said. "It's more like your home than a hospital room."

Contact Steve McLinden at smscribe@hotmail.com

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