Healthcare facilities need to satisfy a host of complex needs and legal provisions. The success of medical care largely depends on how safe, accessible, secure and trouble free it is.

Optimizing operational processes saves lives and resources. From hospitals and clinics to retirement homes, nursing homes, medical centres, pharmacies, pharmaceutical facilities, and laboratories, we offer a diverse portfolio of access solutions and wide range of services which focuses on patient safety at all these facilities and in the individual areas within them.

Architectural Solutions need to be ideally suited to meet the complex requirements, and selecting the appropriate products is essential for fire safety, acoustics, aesthetics, hygiene, and air quality.

In healthcare environments, hygiene is now a crucial factor that requires careful attention. Despite being frequently touched, doors in such facilities are often neglected during the design process. Therefore, there is a need to help healthcare establishments create secure, hygienic, and accessible environments for their daily visitors.

Manufacturers provide a diverse and extensive range of solutions for architectural ironmongery, both automatic and manual door systems, specifically designed to meet your building's hygiene needs. These solutions are of exceptional quality, ensuring long-lasting and dependable performance, and are specifically suited for heavily utilized areas such as behavioural healthcare facilities.

By adhering to the Equality Act, the products and services offered encompass a comprehensive design specification for door sets and architectural hardware. These offerings aid service providers in attaining compliance with ADA or BS 8300 standards. As a result, all operable components, including handles, pulls, latches, locks, and exit devices, are designed to facilitate effortless and secure access for individuals of diverse abilities.

When considering ironmongery, the products utilized in healthcare applications are thoughtfully chosen based on their ease of use, security features, and long-term operational durability. Our ultimate goal remains steadfast - To establish a safe and secure environment within the facility.

Compliance to Codes & Standards:

BS 8300 is a British Code of Practice that sets out the requirements of how buildings should be designed, constructed, and maintained to meet the needs of disabled people as well as create an accessible and inclusive environment for them.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the public.

The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. Our experts guide you on how to meet legal frameworks and building standards.

We also provide product specific performance and certification documents compliant with building regulations and standards.

Entrance

Careful consideration in the selection of an entrance solution can effectively tackle the challenges posed by a substantial influx of staff, patients, and visitors entering and exiting a facility. By integrating automated doors, the entrance system facilitates effortless entry while minimizing energy wastage and ensuring a consistent indoor climate, even amidst heavy foot traffic.

To accommodate the substantial numbers of patients, visitors, and staff necessitating access, a wide array of automated and touch-free entrance solutions is available. These solutions encompass diverse models, including sliding, swinging, breakout, telescopic, and revolving systems. It is of utmost importance that all of these solutions fully adhere to building security regulations.

Corridors & Lobby

In compliance with the national building code, the implementation of hold open magnets in corridors and high-traffic areas is employed to keep the doors open during periods of increased traffic flows. This approach enhances efficiency and facilitates smoother movement within these areas.

During an emergency situation, the activation of the fire/smoke alarm system will initiate the release of the door leaf, which will subsequently be closed by the self-closing device.

Emergency Exits

During emergencies or fires, Exit/Panic devices serve as essential tools for swiftly and effectively evacuating building occupants. These devices incorporate automatic door locking and unlocking mechanisms, enabling rapid evacuation without compromising security or violating building codes. By deploying these devices, buildings can guarantee the safety of their occupants in emergency or fire situations.

ICU – Intensive Care Units

ICU doors are indispensable in healthcare settings, meeting the critical need for patient care and safety. These specialized doors serve multiple purposes that are essential for the well-being of patients and medical staff.

Firstly, ICU doors create a controlled environment, maintain infection control by preventing the spread of airborne pathogens, reducing the risk of cross-contamination within the intensive care unit.

Secondly, usage of access control limits authorized personnel only and ensures the privacy and security of patients.

ICU doors also contribute to noise reduction, creating a peaceful environment conducive to patient healing.

Moreover, these doors should be equipped with breakout feature, allowing them to swing out in the direction of egress, ensuring quick and safe movement when necessary.

Consultation Rooms

Consultation rooms necessitate doors that prioritize ease of use and accessibility for individuals of all ages, including children, the elderly, and those with disabilities. Ensuring patient confidentiality during sensitive discussions, noise control becomes a critical factor.

By integrating specialized hardware, the door must achieve a full swing open, resulting in a wider entryway that offers advantages to both medical professionals and patients with restricted mobility.

To further enhance accessibility, barrier free door closers serve as an ideal solution for individuals with disabilities, allowing effortless access to consultation areas possessing a maximum opening force of 22N, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards.

Patient rooms

When it comes to patient room solutions, it is crucial to harmonize acoustics and aesthetics while ensuring effortless access for both patients and staff. An integral aspect of these solutions is the application of an antibacterial coating to door handles, effectively eradicating transmittable germs. This coating plays a vital role in reducing the risk of unnecessary infections, thus fostering a healthier environment for patients and staff.

Furthermore, the installation of hospital latch hardware greatly enhances the door opening experience within medical settings. These specialized latches operate silently and smoothly, mitigating noise disturbances and establishing a serene and stress-free atmosphere.

Admin Office

Access Control Systems is an optimal solution to divide accessible and restricted areas within the Healthcare facilities by incorporating advanced features like key card access, biometric authentication, and remote-control functionality. These systems provide a medium to high-level security framework, effectively securing the Admin Office.

Enhancing transparency and hygiene, the increased integration of glass in healthcare facilities creates an environment that places emphasis on clarity and cleanliness. To meet these specific requirements, the implementation of modular demountable partitions is employed. These partitions are designed to fulfil the aforementioned criteria, ensuring a transparent and hygienic setting within healthcare facilities.

Operation Theatre

Operation theatres are widely recognized as high-risk areas, requiring specialized doors to effectively prevent the transfer of airborne contaminants within zones of differential pressure.

Hermetically sealed doors play a crucial role in reducing the risk of cross-contamination and the spread of diseases by effectively containing infectious agents. Maintaining a sterile environment is of utmost importance, and these doors significantly contribute to achieving that goal. Furthermore, they promote energy efficiency by minimizing air leakage, leading to improved climate control and reduced energy consumption.

We support you on:

Project Requirements Review

Combining a detailed project review together with extensive sector experience, our specification experts identify ways of improving design outcomes in a highly efficient way to save both time and money.

Fire & Escape Route Evaluation

Whatever the building types, we help you to meet specific Fire Strategies and Building Regulation approval. We also advise how fire safety objectives can be achieved in the most cost effective and efficient way.

Regulatory Standard & Compliance

Our experts guide you on how to meet legal frameworks and building standards. We also provide product specific performance and certification documents compliant with building regulations and standards.

Solution & Security Development

We discuss project requirements & security coordination to find the best ways to meet them. We identify appropriate solutions & assist with sizing requirements while ensuring that you are provided with complete information on technical issues.

Project Scheduling

Scheduling your project with us helps to transform your vision into a deliverable time-based plan. We continuously monitor project activities to eliminate any potential planning risk so you can achieve your project goals, adhering to construction time & budget.

Risk Assessment

We also evaluate both the security and safety factors of each project, ensuring management and mitigation through practical control measures and suitable product selection.

Specification & Design Development

We develop complete door schedules, specifications, CAD drawings and wiring diagrams while also providing all relevant standards compliancy certification, independent test certification and Environmental Product Declarations.

BIM Support

By simply providing project data in a range of formats such as spreadsheets, AutoCAD drawings or text files, our industry leading planning tools support the development of specifications, enabling specifiers to populate BIM models simply and efficiently.

Do visit the following pages to know more about dormakaba solutions for healthcare facilities:

https://www.dormakaba.com/in-en/products---solutions/markets/healthcare

https://www.dormakaba.com/in-en/products---solutions/system-solutions/hygienic-touch-solutions

Reach out to us on https://www.dormakaba.com/in-en/support/solution-finder

Author:

Mansoor Ali, National Key Accounts Manager, dormakaba

Architectural Solutions for Hospitals/Healthcare