Process-oriented design

"An OR can only function well if the entire OR center is right," says Janet Vissinga of OKCN. The Green Heart Hospital developed its beautiful surgery center from 2010 to 2013 and under the guidance of OKCN, so an analysis for a logical incorporation of a state-of-the-art hybrid OR was easily made.

"We zoomed in specifically on patient logistics, the use of dedicated interventional and vascular surgery equipment, radiation safety and the implementation of advanced X-ray equipment," Vissinga says. "After this, we were able to determine fairly quickly how the connection to the existing surgery center should be designed to meet the appropriate hygienic zoning. Within the frameworks that had been set, we discussed our ideas at length and explored them in detail with the vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, clinical physicists, infection prevention and OR staff. We were able to clearly translate the design principles to the architect and installation consultant, which allowed us to go through a rare beautiful and short design process."

"The realization phase proceeded identically, with a good construction team and maximum involvement of the shop floor. This can rightly be called a user-centered project," says Vissinga, who emphasizes the importance of involvement in such construction plans at an early stage. She also calls it moment -1. "That means that a hospital wants to (re)build a high care unit, but does not yet have a picture of the primary processes in relation to the necessary space requirements and zoning. At that stage you can work toward an optimal situation where unnecessary failure costs can be avoided. What we often see is that departments are bogged down in their current working methods and do not have a sufficiently clear picture of how you can use square meters more efficiently by organizing your work processes more intelligently. At the Groene Hart Hospital, we have been able to bridge the gap between healthcare and construction and vice versa during our many years of collaboration. And yes, cooperation is indeed the key word here!"