Compliance News: TJC Adopts the 2010 Guidelines

               
By Dean Samet, CHSP



The Joint Commission announced in their December, 2010 Environment of Care News that effective January 1, 2011, they will be referencing the 2010 edition of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities for new, altered, or renovated space design criteria. The 2010 TJC accreditation manual referenced the 2001 AIA Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities.
   
According to TJC, the 2010 Guidelines contain several new and revised sections, including but not limited to the following:   

• Acoustics
• Patient handling and movement
• Bariatric accommodations
• Cancer treatment/infusion therapy
• Freestanding cancer treatment facilities
• Telecommunications areas
• Wayfinding
• Patient safety assessments
• Outpatient rehabilitation facilities
• ASHRAE Standard 170: Ventilation of Health Care Facilities
• Focus on single-patient rooms for new construction (see note below)

TJC standard EC.02.06.05 addresses the topic of designing and constructing a health care facility. Per EP1, organizations are required to use either state rules and regulations or the 2010 edition of the Guidelines in their design and construction efforts. Projects that were in the design phase before January 1, 2011 may continue to use the 2001 Guidelines. However, any new designs initiated after January 1, 2011 need to follow the 2010 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities or the state rules and regulations relevant to the organization. Purportedly, more than 42 states and several federal agencies use the Guidelines to regulate health care facility design and construction for hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and behavioral health facilities throughout the United States.
  
Find out more about the 2010 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities at http://www.fgiguidelines.org.

Note: Purportedly there is evidence that patient outcomes have been enhanced when using single patient rooms including the following benefits:  

• Reducing the spread of infection
• Decreasing noise levels
• Increasing patient and family privacy
• Improving patient sleep
• Fostering patient and staff communication
• Decreasing the likelihood of patient falls
• Reducing the number of patient transfers and associated medical errors
• Reducing the likelihood of medication mix-ups and other medical errors that relate to confusion with a room-mate
• Improving patient satisfaction
• Improving staff satisfaction
• Speeding patient recovery