Haines and Griffin/Office Space Planning, Part 3

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Figure 6. Floor plan sample.

Figure 7. Sample sub-waiting area.

· Patient travel distance from waiting to the exam room

Some important concepts that drive the planning of

should be kept to a minimum.

the Exam Module include making all of the rooms iden-

· The spaces that the patient travels through should be

tical and arranging rooms to:

memorable and direct, avoid multiple turns and twists.

· promote efficiency,

· Patient travel should not go through another exam

· reduce walking,

module (with the exception of very low volume prac-

· allows the patient to self-exit,

tices)

· provide for control of the space by the staff, and

· Access from the exam module to diagnostic functions

· enhances patient privacy through plan arrangement.

should be direct.

· Nursing control of the exam module is needed.

One important aspect of the exam room is

· Group Exam Modules into logical groupings.

A floor plan example of the clinical end of a practice

the need for acoustical privacy.

exhibiting these characteristics is shown in Figure 6. In

this example, two doctor exam modules are grouped around

A conceptual 4-room exam module is illustrated in

x-ray. There is a sub-wait area, so patients can be staged

Figure 4. It promotes efficiency by keeping the space that

from the exam room to x-ray and back. The nurses' sta-

needs to be covered by the doctor to a minimum. The

tion is at the front of the patient flow sequence into the

sketch also shows a doctor's consultation office. In this

exam rooms. The doctor's dictation station is at the rear of

case, it is proximal to the exam rooms because it is used

the flow sequence, minimizing cross traffic with patients.

for direct patient management. If patients are not seen

there, then the office should be remotely located.

DIAGNOSTIC/ANCILLARY SERVICES

Organizing Exam Modules

Often, the patient will need to go to a diagnostic

function during the exam process. This could be x-ray,

In most practices, there will be more than one doc-

laboratory, stress testing, visual field, or other tests that

tor seeing patients at one time. It is the practice's re-

the doctor needs to diagnose and treat a patient. Access to

sponsibility to provide each doctor with the resources that

this space should be easy. However, because the patient

he or she needs when seeing patients. Along with proper

will be escorted, the typical way-finding cues are not always

staffing, this includes the proper amount of space config-

necessary. Because we have established that the exam room

ured for maximum efficiency. This generally requires an

is for the doctor's use, and is not to be used as an (ex-

exam module for each doctor seeing patients. There are sev-

pensive) waiting room, the creation of sub-waiting areas

eral guidelines that need to be considered when develop-

to regulate the flow of patients to and from diagnostics is

ing the arrangement (Fig. 5):