Christopher Raphael NCH System Director of Critical Care
Everyone hopes that they will never need the services of a hospital critical care unit, but should the need ever arise for yourself or a loved one, it is good to know that a state-of-the-art facility – equipped with the latest technologies and staffed by the most qualified medical professionals – exists right in our own community. The renovation of the Critical Care Unit at NCH Downtown Baker Hospital was completed in January and offers large private ICU rooms. With 22 beds, the unit is now double the size of the previous critical care unit. The renovation is part of the larger master plan, which was initiated in 2014, explains Christopher Raphael, RN, MSN, CCRN-K, NE-BC, System Director of Critical Care, Hemodialysis, Vascular Access Nursing and Interventional Radiology Nursing. New Critical Care Unit Renovation Offers the Best Technology for Patients
Providing ‘round-the-clock care, ten critical care intensivists staff the unit. All are board-certified physicians with special training in the needs of critically ill patients. Rounding out the team are eight nurse practitioners, seventy- eight registered nurses – both year-round and seasonal – ten secretaries, four clinical techs and an APACHE (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation) coordinator. “We now have space to integrate with all care providers—respiratory therapists, pharmacists, internal medicine residents, physical and occupational therapists, community physicians and attending physicians from the hospital, which provides more opportunity for greater collaboration,” says Raphael. “Multi-disciplinary and teaching rounds occur daily.”
With a strong emphasis on the creature comforts, which are known to improve patient outcomes, each room has now been equipped with a family center - a small separate area where family members can spend the night with the patient. “The family is an integral part of the care,” explains Raphael. “We communicate with the families and keep them updated throughout the day.” Elsewhere on the unit, a consultation room allows families to conduct sensitive conversations with physicians, and a family area offers restrooms, coffee, telephones, television and areas for seating. Each room features contrasting soft colors with a focus on therapeutic healing as well as a window to provide natural light, which is important for the healing process and day / night orientation. All rooms also have dimmable LED lighting, which appears more natural than the old-fashioned fluorescent lighting. Changes to the Critical Care Unit do not stop at the décor, of course. Brand new equipment brings the most modern technological advances in the treatment of critically ill patients. New cardiac monitors, and invasive and
Features of the renovated Critical Care Unit:
non-invasive monitoring systems are fully linked with electronic health records. Plans to send alarms to staff phones are also being developed. Integrated patient lifts in every room help to increase patient mobility and staff safety – which improves overall patient care.
Every room has a family center, enabling overnight stays A separate consultation room for family consultations with physicians Nurses' stations are designed to have line of sight to each room
22-bed, large, private rooms, equipped with smart technology Separate family center with restrooms, coffee, telephones, television and areas for sitting Alarm-management technology
Soft colors, natural and LED dimmable lighting A computer i n each room for medication barcode scanning and patient records Work space for internal medicine residents
“We have a computer mounted in each room for patient documentation and medication barcode scanning at the bedside, which is a patient safety best practice. The computers also enable physicians to pull up patient records and radiology images to review with family,” explains Raphael. Every patient room has clear line of sight from the nurses’ stations, helping staff monitor each patient’s status at all times. A work space for internal medicine residents has also been added.
For more information, contact Christopher Raphael, NCH System Director of Critical Care , at (239) 624-3266 or email christopher.raphael@nchmd.org
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