HEALTH-SYSTEM FACILITY DESIGN

To advocate the development and the inclusion of contemporary pharmacy and medication-use specifications in national and state healthcare design standards to ensure adequate space for safe provision of pharmacy products and patient care services; further,

To promote pharmacist involvement in the design-planning and space-allocation decisions of healthcare facilities.

Rationale

Often the design and location of health-system pharmacy departments are less than ideal. Many pharmacy departments do not have adequate square footage, and too often the pharmacy is located in the basement of the hospital, far removed from the patients. The impact of physical space on staff satisfaction may also contribute to staff turnover. Pharmacy design often occurs before pharmacy leadership has an opportunity for input on the design, location, or size.

Healthcare architects and facility engineers need to be knowledgeable in the contemporary and future needs of pharmacy design and the facility requirements for medication use (e.g., medication preparation rooms, temperature monitoring, automated dispensing cabinets). This includes, for instance, the inclusion of technical specifications (including those in applicable compendial standards of the United States Pharmacopeia) for pharmacies in national healthcare design standards.

Regarding facility design, pharmacist collaboration with the Association of Healthcare Engineers and the American Institute of Architects is paramount to design success. The Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospital and Health Care Facilities is the primary document driving design decisions by architects and healthcare engineers. Research results on optimal, evidenced-based facility design to support safe medication use should be incorporated in new or renovation construction plans.