birthing center

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lmchenry

Senior Member
Would you consider a patient room in a birthing center a patient care area in a health care facility? Having a disagreement with a engineer who says no.
 
birthing room definition

birthing room definition

You may want to refer to either a AIA Healthcare Facility manual or JCAHO manual for the proper definition.
 
lmchenry said:
Would you consider a patient room in a birthing center a patient care area in a health care facility? Having a disagreement with a engineer who says no.
Click to expand...

I would think so.

517.1 Scope.
The provisions of this article shall apply to electrical construction and installation criteria in health care facilities that provide services to human beings.
The requirements in Parts II and III not only apply to single-function buildings but are also intended to be individually applied to their respective forms of occupancy within a multifunction building (e.g., a doctor?s examining room located within a limited care facility would be required to meet the provisions of 517.10).
Click to expand...
 
Along with DPW's suggestion the first sentence of the definition is pretty clear to me.

Patient Care Area. Any portion of a health care facility wherein patients are intended to be examined or treated.
Click to expand...
I would think there would be some examining and treating taking place even if the treating only consisted of serving the expecting mother water.


Roger
 
I would say so too. While as a rule there may not be any equipment that the patient would be connected to, if there was an emergency then it could happen.
 
The engineer says that since the birthing center is actually a business occupancy that 517 does not apply. (using NFPA 101) Any thoughts?
 
All doctors offices are considered a B occupancy. He needs to read the definition of a patient care area (general care areas). The only areas exempted are business offices, corridors, lounges, day rooms, dining rooms or similar areas.
 
lmchenry said:
The engineer says that since the birthing center is actually a business occupancy that 517 does not apply. (using NFPA 101) Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I worked in a hospital that delivered over 5000 children a year and the delivery wing had 16 rooms. Eight on one side and eight on the other side. The hospital shut down 8 rooms to renovate on one side and when they were complete they would renovate the other 8 rooms. I was there for the first 3 months renovating the first 8 rooms and they had all of the medical gas suction oxygen critical branch and life safety circuits. I had not become a father yet and was greatly disturbed by the bone chilling and blood curdling noises on the other side of the construction barrier. I now understand those noises and have since learned that a man should never open his mouth in a birthing room with the exception of saying PUSH!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top