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FGI Bulletin #9

FGI Bulletin Archives

Get Ready to Learn!

FGI-produced continuing education now available 

In recent years, the best opportunity to learn about FGI and updates to the Guidelines was at industry conferences, but traveling to these events isn’t always convenient or cost-effective. Recognizing the need to provide a better way to deliver information on interpreting and applying Guidelines requirements, FGI created a series of 10 on-demand webinars specific to the 2018 Guidelines for Design and Construction.

The FGI webinars deliver critical information on new requirements. Each webinar in the series is authored and presented by members of the Health Guidelines Revision Committee, so you learn directly from the professionals responsible for writing the 2018 Guidelines. We invite you to get up to speed with continuing education direct from the source, and even better yet, without having to travel from your personal environment! All 10 webinars have been approved by the AIA for Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) CEUs and members of other organizations can receive a certificate of attendance for use toward professional certifications.

Highlights

  • Learn from the professionals who wrote the standards.
  • Nine webinars focus on compliance strategies.
  • On-demand viewing is not limited to a specific time or date.
  • No travel. No conference registration fees. No time away from the office.
  • Up to 10 AIA HSW CEUs are available.
  • Flexible options for purchasing.

Webinar series topics

  • 2018 GuidelinesUpdate: Changes to Keep Pace with Clinical Practices
  • Appropriate Room Use—Part 1: Exam, Procedure, and Operating Rooms
  • Appropriate Room Use—Part 2: Imaging Room Classifications
  • Flexible Application of the Outpatient Guidelines
  • Accommodations for Care of Patients of Size
  • Pod People: Low-Acuity Patient Treatment Stations in the ED
  • Breaking Bad: Improving Resident-Centered Regulations
  • Sterile Processing Department: Design and HVAC Considerations
  • The Functional Program and Safety Risk Assessment: How to Create and Apply Them
  • Use of the Guidelines for Design and Construction: An Architect’s, an Owner’s, and an AHJ’s Perspective

11/21/22 UPDATE: 2018 webinars are now available free of charge on FGI’s YouTube channel.

It’s Time to Voice Your Concern

The 2022 Guidelines proposal period begins

Do you disagree with content in the 2018 Guidelines? Don’t complain about it—submit a proposal for change! The proposal period for the 2022 Guidelines revision cycle opened on Wednesday, November 1, 2018, with the launch of FGI’s new online proposal platform.

Public participation in the Guidelines revision process is vitally important. The first opportunity for the public to participate is during the proposal period, which will remain open through June 30, 2019. During this time, any change to the text can be recommended to the Health Guidelines Revision Committee. The second opportunity follows the release of the draft 2022 Guidelines in 2020, when the public is invited to submit comments on the new language. Without input from users in the field, the Guidelines documents cease to be relevant in the rapidly evolving health care environment.

As in the past, the proposal period is your best opportunity to recommend changes to the most recent edition of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of hospitals, outpatient facilities, and residential health, care, and support facilities. Submit suggestions to improve clarity of the Guidelines documents or to refine the requirements to better support clinical practices, infection prevention and control, and safe and effective patient and resident care.

For the 2022 cycle, FGI will also use the proposal platform to collect suggestions for Beyond Fundamentals topics that Guidelines users would like to see developed. These can be in the form of draft guidelines, white papers, best practices, and other materials. Read the Guidelines press release for more information.

Help Wanted: Volunteers for 2022 Guidelines topic groups 

FGI is seeking volunteer subject matter experts to participate in topic groups that will support development of the 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction. These groups, led by Health Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC) members and composed of industry subject matter experts, assess how a particular subject is covered in the current edition of the Guidelines and determine what proposals are needed to improve and update the next edition of the Guidelines. The 2022 HGRC Steering Committee has identified the following topics as those needing to be addressed during the 2022 revision cycle based on industry trends and user feedback and inquiries.

  • Acoustics and vibration
  • Behavioral health
  • Behavioral health in the ED
  • Emergency preparedness, resiliency, and business continuity
  • Geriatrics
  • Infection prevention and control
  • Lighting
  • Nurse call devices, electrical receptacles, and med/gas outlets
  • Palliative design
  • Pediatrics
  • Rural health
  • Technology

Topic groups will begin reviewing existing requirements in the 2018 Guidelines documents  in the next few months and continue their work through mid-2021. Participating in a topic group is a great way to get introduced to the activities and community of the HGRC. If you are interested in serving on one of the identified topic groups or would like to learn more, please write to us and include the topic that interests you, a brief explanation of why you are interested, and your CV or résumé.

Benefit-Cost Report Comparing the 2014 and 2018 Guidelines is Available

Over the course of the 2018 Guidelines revision cycle, the FGI Benefit-Cost Committee (BCC) assessed the potential impact of changes to the Guidelines documents. Their review of public proposals and comments provided guidance for the HGRC throughout the revision cycle, and once the 2018 Hospital and Outpatient Guidelines were published, the BCC conducted a detailed evaluation of the effects of implementing the new requirements. Their determination is that the 2018 edition improves program flexibility, reduces risk, addresses industry trends, and offers greater consistency between documents. While some changes will reduce overall costs and others will add capital costs for certain facility types, the BCC concluded that overall the benefits outweigh the effects on construction cost. Read the full report.

New Advisory Opinion Released

Appropriate room use for invasive vs. noninvasive patient care

FGI receives frequent requests for guidance on where patient procedures can and cannot be performed in hospitals and outpatient facilities. These inquiries come from a diverse array of health care professionals, including designers, infection preventionists, and other clinical staff. To address the need for direction and help Guidelines users create appropriate treatment spaces, FGI has posted an advisory opinion on applying the 2018 Guidelines to spaces where invasive vs. noninvasive patient care is delivered.

Erratum Issued on Location of Nurse Call Device in Hospital Seclusion Rooms

FGI recently responded to a query about the staff assistance station and emergency call (code blue) station required for a seclusion room in a hospital by Table 2.1-2 (Locations for Nurse Call Devices in Hospitals), which permits one device to provide both functions. The inquirer asked about the location for this nurse call device since the table lists a “seclusion room.” After review by several HGRC members and an outside behavioral health specialist, it was determined the table is in error and should list a “seclusion room anteroom” rather than the seclusion room itself. This determination is based on language in Section 2.1-2.4.3.9 (Special design elements), which states both that “seclusion rooms shall be designed and constructed to avoid features that enable patient hiding, escape, injury, or suicide” and that “electrical switches and receptacles are prohibited in the seclusion room.” A correction has been published in the 2018 Hospital Guidelines errata sheet. The reviewers also considered the further question of whether a wireless personal alarm system could be permitted to meet this requirement; they determined yes, as this is permitted in Section 2.1-8.5.1.1 (5), which reads, “Use of alternate technologies that meet the require­ments of UL 1069, including radiofrequency sys­tems, shall be permitted for call systems.”

FGI Hires New Director of Operations and Managing Editor

FGI announces the promotion of Heather B. Livingston to director of operations and managing editor of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of hospitals, outpatient facilities, and residential  health, care, and support facilities. Ms. Livingston  was promoted to director of operations on January 1, 2018, and assumed the responsibilities of managing editor on June 1, 2018.

As managing editor, Ms. Livingston is responsible for the development and design of the 2022 edition of the Guidelines documents and Beyond Fundamentals publications. In her position as director of operations, she works closely with the CEO to implement strategic objectives set by the Board of Directors and to manage and grow relationships with partner organizations and other stakeholders.

“Working with FGI and the volunteers on the Health Guidelines Revision Committee has been one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life,” says Livingston. “I am continually impressed not only by the caliber of people who work on the Guidelines, but also by their steadfast commitment to improving the safety of health and residential care environments. It is truly my privilege to support them in this effort.”