Introduction
Successful design and implementation of a healthcare facility project inevitably leads to the higher quality of provided services as well as contributes to staff and patient satisfaction. Since the report deals with the Middle Eastern region, it was chosen to evaluate design and safety measures at Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The facility started operating in 2012 and is classified as the city’s largest private hospital that provides tertiary care. Also, Burjeel Hospital is a part of the VPS Healthcare Group. Currently, the facility is led by Mr. Amir Firdaus.
Hospital Infrastructure
Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi encompasses an area of sixty-five thousand square meters and can provide beds to two hundred and ninety-three patients. The facility is privately owned by Burjeel Hospital LLC and is valued at AED 400,000,000 (“Burjeel Hospital – Abu Dhabi”). The construction project for developing the hospital implied converting the existing building into a state-of-the-art hospital.
Therefore, the philosophy of the design was avoiding the destruction of the previous structure and upscaling it through restorative and new construction to end up with a prestigious facility that will provide high-quality services to customers. Through the use of the latest technologies, the designers and constructors of the building wanted to take into account a large variety of needs concerning the provision of care. Unfortunately, there is no construction schedule for the hospital available, although it can be estimated that the construction started in 2009-2010.
The building is divided into different dedicated clinics that include the Emergency Center, Cardiology Care and Surgery Center, Diabetic Center, Neurology Science Department, Express Clinics, a Full Laboratory, Health Club that includes a gymnasium, meeting and training rooms, Joint Replacement Center, and IVF Department. All of the mentioned departments are located on seven floors of the building.
Unfortunately, data on the hospital’s design and architecture firm is not available; however, it is evident that the designers and builders aimed toward a modern architectural look. In addition to designing a contemporary hospital that will cater to patients’ needs, the facility’s purpose was to use the latest technologies and infrastructure to provide a boost to the United Arab Emirates’ medical tourism industry. Since it has been recognized that the country has immense potential in becoming the leader in the segment, the Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi set to focus on high-end tertiary care (“Sheikh Hamed Opens Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi”).
The commission of the healthcare agency that guides the operations of the hospital is to “change how people view health, by not just offering the best in treatment, but inculcating the concept of wellness in their lives,” as mentioned by the CEO of Burjeel Hospital. Dr. Charles Stanford for Gulf News (qt. in “Burjeel Hospital Brings New Health-Care Concepts”).
Amenities and Design Specifics
On the ground floor, the hospital offers its clients the services of an emergency room, diagnostic imaging, laboratory, four clinics (dental, family medicine, internal medicine, ophthalmology), a coffee shop, and a pharmacy. On the first floor, there are five departments: labor and delivery suites, neonatal ICU, newborn clinic, cardiac surgery office, and ICU. On the second floor, there is an auditorium, a laboratory, a restaurant, a female prayer room, and a male prayer room.
Also, there are eight clinics on the same floor. The third floor provides accommodations for patients (presidential suites and majestic suites), endoscopy suites, and ten more clinics. The fourth and fifth floors of the hospital are dedicated solely to patient rooms that are differentiated into different levels of comfort. They include royal suites, presidential suites, executive suites, premier rooms, and deluxe rooms. This shows that there is a varied choice for patients when it comes to staying at Burjeel Hospital.
The sixth floor of the facility includes the IVF department, administrative offices, pathology and laboratory medicine, and a dialysis unit. Importantly, there are varied maps and directive signs inside the facility that tell patients and visitors where to go. There are options of taking the stairs or using elevators. It is also should be mentioned that the facility has an underground parking floor, which is convenient for visitors as well as patients who would like to leave their cars while staying at the hospital. This amenity is essential because there is a lack of outside parking near the facility, as well as because of a free road around the hospital needed for ambulances coming.
Safety Measures
As a contemporary healthcare facility targeted at improving the quality of care in Abu Dhabi, it is equipped with the most advanced tools for treatment and diagnosis. It is important to mention that the Burjee Hospital has been accredited by the Joint Commission International, which is recognized as the “highest international standard of safety and cares” (“Why Burjeel Hospital”). Safety measures included in the standard include not only providing a safe environment in the facility but also exercising patients’ rights and securing informed consent.
It is important to mention that the hospital received an array of rewards for its excellence; for example, in 2017, the facility was awarded as the “Best Asian Healthcare Brand” by the Economic Times, in 2015, it was awarded as the “Middle East’s Emerging Healthcare Provider of the Year” by Frost and Sullivan (“Why Burjeel Hospital”). Security and safety measures implemented at Burjeel Hospital include the following:
- Ensuring “privacy and protection of personal information” of patients (“Patients”);
- Establishing safety with regards to the facility and practices inside the hospital: protecting personal belongings and the safety of patients during emergency situations;
- Protecting patients from any kind of assault through the use of security and calling the police;
- Providing immediate treatment in emergency situations whether or not they have medical insurance;
- Ensuring that patients receive the appropriate assessment and management of pain (“Patients”);
- Ensuring that the staff and patients comply with the established standards of safety to make sure that no accidents, attacks, or any other emergency situations take place.
When it comes to the state of the art safety measures, Burjee Hospital uses the TPSC Cloud for making changes for creating the strongest culture of patient safety. The software system is flexible enough to allow the facility to customize its operations to the needs and requirements of the facility. “the system supports staff to think about how to be more innovative with creating new applications within the system” (“Burjeel Hospital”). The solution allowed the staff to create better communication procedures between departments and focus on analyzing relevant patient data. Thus, when an emergency situation takes place, the staff can communicate it to the necessary department immediately.
Specifications: Labs, Nursing Units, Outpatient Clinics
Laboratories at the Burjeel Hospital were specifically designed to cater to the demands of modern patients. The facility is set to provide laboratory work in fields such as histopathology, microbiology, hematology, endocrinology, clinical chemistry, and infectious diseases (“Laboratory”). Labs are equipped with the latest equipment, while professionals are required to follow a quality control program for assuring reliable and accurate results. Safety measures such as ensuring accurate labeling and protecting patients’ personal information from disclosure. It is important to mention that the facility partnered up with Philips to include the latest laboratory and screening equipment at Burjeel Hospital.
Outpatient services in the hospitals are vast, which means that the facility can cater to most patients’ needs. The majority of clinics are located on the first three floors of the facility to aid in patients’ convenience as well as make sure that outpatient services do not disrupt the treatment of patients who stay at the hospital for longer periods of time. The Burjeel Hospital’s website provides an extensive look at the available outpatient services that clients can use. Specifications for the services include convenience, availability to clients, as well as a work schedule to accommodate all patients.
As mentioned previously, nursing units at the facility are located on the top three levels. The units range depending on the level of comfort and therefore can cater to the different financial capabilities of inpatients. Specifications for nursing units include the clean and comfortable environment of hospital wards, additional amenities such as tv, fridge, second bedrooms (for top-level rooms), and more. Overall, Burjeel Hospital at Abu Dhabi was designed to address patients’ needs as well as promote the message of excellence. Since the facility is privately owned, opportunities for expansion are vast, especially when it comes to adding more nursing units in other locations around the country while preserving the high quality of services that Burjeel already provides.
Works Cited
“Burjeel Hospital – Abu Dhabi.” AMSPM. Web.
“Burjeel Hospital Brings New Health-Care Concepts.” Gulf News. 2012. Web.
“Burjeel Hospital.” Patient Safety. Web.
“Laboratory.” Burjeel Specialty. Web.
“Patients.” Burjeel MWC. Web.
“Sheikh Hamed Opens Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi.” Khaleej Times. 2012. Web.
“Why Burjeel Hospital.” Burjeel. Web.