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Integrating decorative, clinical functionality into furniture and flooring options a necessity

These days, hospitals and other healthcare facilities seek options similar to their employee training programs. Just as they cross-train staffers to handle multiple functions motivated by cost savings and efficiency, they look for furniture and flooring products with multi-purpose functionality.

Looking good and giving off the right vibe may be important, but also being easy to clean, deodorize and disinfect – and sterilize if necessary – antimicrobial-resistant (including fungi, bacteria, mildews, molds and viruses), durable and capable of performing more than just the traditional duties, as well as environmentally friendly. These include chairs that can function as transport vehicles or stretchers, floors that are coated with antimicrobial material to make cleaning and disinfection easier, and so forth.

So how do furniture and flooring products contribute to a healthcare facility’s improved clinical outcomes and financial and operational results?

As part of a purchasing primer for furniture and flooring products Healthcare Purchasing News tapped the expertise of five executives for their insights into product capabilities and functionality that help healthcare facilities improve what they do and how they do it.

All five emphasized that while aesthetics may not play as important a role in furniture and flooring selections as clinical and operational functionality it tends to reflect the changing demands and needs of the patient base so it can’t be readily dismissed among the range of criteria unique to healthcare organizations.

More healthcare facilities are shifting their interior designs "to create a supportive environment that is nurturing and comforting to patients, families and staff," said, Deborah Breunig, R.N., BSN, MBA, vice president – healthcare market, KI, Los Angeles. "As part of this direction, healthcare design increasingly reflects aesthetics that evoke the comfort and security of home."

Family involvement and new patient classes also are redefining healthcare interior design, according to Breunig. "Today, hospitals seek to accommodate the changing family dynamic, cultural factors and psychosocial influences that have family members — and extended family members — becoming much more involved in patient care," she said. "To support this trend, many hospitals now allow overnight guests. Additionally, sleepover solutions are a growing product category that supports family involvement by providing a comfortable sofa for sitting then converts to a sleep surface."

Healthcare facilities also need to be cognizant of accommodating bariatric patients and their families without making them feel segregated from average-size people, she added. In addition, baby boomers expect the highest quality standards in comfort and style, as well as the ability to maintain their independence.

From a clinical perspective, furniture and flooring needs to be highly durable "to withstand the rigors of the 24/7 environment," promote ease of use that includes cleaning via finishes and other characteristics and fabrics with antimicrobial properties, and contribute to creating a relaxing staff retreat in such areas as lobbies and lounges, Breunig noted.

In many markets, aesthetic consideration for interiors is sufficient, according to Jerry Griffin, vice president, sales, Vitrulan Corp., Waynesboro, VA, "but in the healthcare market, a set of very specific issues must be considered – in addition to creating an aesthetically pleasing environment. For example, in wall-covering selection – and similarly in flooring – the need for easy maintenance is a major factor, as well as the ability to resist mold and mildew build-up, which vinyl wall-covering may conceal."

T. Fred Roche, Parterre Flooring Systems

Parterre Flooring Systems’ new Remedy Health Floor is a comfortable, attractive sheet vinyl which allows for necessary infection control by withstanding the aggressive cleaning healthcare facilities require.

T. Fred Roche, president and Chief Operating Officer, Parterre Flooring Systems, Brooklyn, NY, emphasized how critical the performance qualities of flooring are in healthcare facilities. "Flooring in this setting must be tough enough to handle lots of foot traffic and wheeled carts," he said. "It must be stain resistant and easy to clean so that a sanitary, fresh appearance is delivered.

"Studies have revealed the importance of aesthetics in patient healing," Roche continued. "Gone are the days when a cold, highly polished, hard surface floor was the only way to provide a sense of germ-minimizing cleanliness. The warmth offered through the ever-expanding designs offered by luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and sheet vinyl is ideal for patients and healthcare providers alike."

For clinically oriented furniture, aesthetics, style and design are as important as the specific clinical features that offer added benefits to the patient, caregiver and guests, according to Steve Hookway, product marketing manager, patient environment, Hill-Rom Inc., Batesville, IN. Hookway cited such features as arms/hand grips for ease of egress/ingress from a chair/seating position, clean-out spaces in the rear seat of the chair, replaceable parts that can add life to high-touch products like seat and back cushion covers and arm rests. "Antimicrobial applications, such as silver ion embedded within fabrics, is becoming more and more important in an environment that constantly requires disinfecting," he added.

But Spencer Fullerton, sales manager, Health Care Logistics Inc., Circleville, OH, urged healthcare facilities not to overlook one fundamental criterion – space constraints. "Facilities have so many items that need to occupy the same space," he said. "The challenge is to design in order to meet the facilities’ needs within their allotted space."

With space availability defining – and sometimes limiting – design options, furniture products must accommodate confining demands and needs.

"Multi-functional or modular products are becoming increasingly important within the patient room environment," Hookway said. "Available space within the patient room is decreasing, therefore the furniture within the room needs to perform in several ways. [These include] chairs and loveseats that convert into sleepers, recliners that can serve as patient seating and sleepers, overbed tables that provide patient applications as well as caregiver applications."

Roche indicated that the clarity of design and patterns represents a recent improvement to customer choices. "The quality of digital imagery and computer graphics have made vinyl flooring an aesthetically pleasing choice," he said. "The heat-weldable seaming feature clinically assures a bacteria free environment. Parterre Flooring is easy to maintain without the need for high-speed buffing and much less need for waxing or stripping old finish."

In the area of wall coverings, fire resistance, courtesy of glass options in the Vitrulan line, ease of maintenance, durability and extended life-cycle costing are a few noteworthy improvements for healthcare facilities to recognize, according to Griffin. "From a clinical aspect, whether or not the wall covering is appropriate for operating rooms and can exist in a hygienic setting is important," he added.

Jerry Griffin, Vitrulan Corp.

Vitrulan’s Phantasy Plus woven glass deco fabric for wallcoverings provides a durable, easy to clean surface that offers no pores or pockets in which micro-organisms could accumulate.

In keeping with furniture offering more functionality, Glenn Barras, president, Sittris ,Toronto, ON Canada, says they have designed their seating to maximize patient comfort and promote skin health. The knitback and fully upholstered versions of the Sittris PA chair effectively "cradle" patients, while the flex-i-back version provides relaxing therapeutic movement to enhance recovery. The chairs also address skin health, by incorporating a pressure relief system in the seat to stimulate blood circulation and the arms are designed to minimize contact with elbows reducing the potential of elbow skin shear. The matching ottoman eases pressure commonly placed on patients’ heels, also lessening the possibility of skin breakdown. Surfaces are also designed to be easy to clean and they resist bacterial, viral and microbial growth.

KI recently introduced the Arissa universal seating collection that accommodates all body types equally well, eliminating the need for specific bariatric products, according to Breunig. The line supports 750 pounds and features a multitude of different seating options, including an armchair, armless chair and loveseat with options that include wood armcaps. "The Arissa Collection takes into consideration the psychosocial and physical requirements of obese individuals, helping to create a healthcare space that emphasizes the similarities among people rather than draw attention to their differences," she noted.

Look for the next generation of furniture and flooring products to emit a "green" hue to improve patient care, environmental quality, workflow efficiency and bottom-line savings.

"‘Green’ products and/or certification that products are environmentally friendly is on the increase as it should be," Hookway said. "As manufacturers, it is the best interest of the general population that we provide component parts, such as wood, foam, fabrics and finishes that are safe to the environment. PVC-free as well as silver-embedded fabrics will also aid in the environmental concerns that are expressed by our customers."

Sittris PA fixed back upholstered with urethane arms and headrest

Sittris PA knit back with ottoman

Vitrulan’s Griffin concurred. "The next generation of wallcovering must have improved aesthetics and design, while working in a sustainable environment that will allow ease of maintenance, ease of repair, natural content and will work within the green footprints of new and restored buildings," he said.

"Wall covering will be required to have ‘breathability’ to prevent the build-up of mold and mildew," he continued. "I also see a trend for natural fabric and materials adding to selections for wall covering in healthcare applications."

Parterre products contain a "significant amount of recycled content and are recyclable after use," Roche said. More importantly, however, "Parterre Flooring is a resilient floor and is much more comfortable to stand on."

Breunig predicted the incorporation of more flexibility in furniture to accommodate the evolving needs and dynamics of patients, families and healthcare staff. "For example, charting has moved from paper to electronic. This shift has altered the requirements and/or expectations for nursing stations, which are moving from one central to several decentralized locations and require furniture that is more compact to fit within this small space," she noted. "If charting is performed bedside, an ideal work surface must be available, along with height-adjustable stools or other seating. Ergonomic considerations, such as height-adjustable desks that allow staff to set the level of the work surface to the ideal position, will play an important role in new furniture design."

Future furniture designs will incorporate large capacity/bariatric requirements, according to Hookway. "Our population is getting larger, therefore manufacturers need to ensure that we are providing products that are safe, functional and that are not intimidating to our larger population," he said.