Nursing News:
Children¹s hospitals in a building boom

Children's hospitals across the country are renovating, expanding and building at a remarkable rate. From 1995 to 2000, the number of children admitted to all hospitals has declined by approximately 3 percent. As fewer children are admitted, the number of hospitals offering pediatrics has also decreased by about 3 percent. But children's hospitals defy this trend. From 1995 to 2000, admissions to children's hospitals increased by 10.5 percent. In effect, children's hospitals are gaining a larger share of a shrinking market. This demand, in turn, places increasing pressure on children's hospitals to provide sufficient space for specialized services and the enhanced technology that accompanies them.
The National Association of Children¹s Hospitals and Related Industries (NACHRI) collected data on 119 significant facility projects at 41 children's hospitals in 2003. Their findings, covering types/phases of projects to design issues, were published in Facility Planning and Design Activities in Children's Hospitals, 2003. Significant Findings
€ The survey showed that 25 percent of the hospitals responded to increasing admissions by building new facilities;
€ 32 percent are expanding existing facilities
€ 36 percent are renovating existing facilities.
€ The average square footage per project is 81,647;
€ Average square footage per hospital is 227,621.
€ Average project cost of $18,628,945, and a total hospital facility cost of $54,334,422.
Survey respondents identified three design issues as ³highly significant²:
€ Privacy for patients and families (63 percent);
€ Patient- and family-focused care (56 percent);
€ Inpatient capacity (56 percent)
For more information regarding the NACHRI, please visit http://www.childrenshospitals.net/