Comment Now on the 2018 Drafts of the FGI Guidelines

A key element in that process are the facilities that support the healthcare process. Staff needs a place that enhances their care efforts, not one that is a hindrance which requires a workaround to achieve best practices. The patients need a place of healing in order to speed their return to wellness.

 

The facilities standards for providers are summarized in several documents published by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), part of the American Hospital Association. These documents are governed by the Facilities Guidelines Institute (FGI). According to their website the FGI is “… an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing guidance for the planning, design, and construction of hospitals, outpatient facilities, and residential health, care, and support facilities.”

 

Further, “The 2014 edition of the FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities was published in March 2014 and provides minimum standards for design and construction of hospitals and outpatient facilities. Also in 2014, FGI published Guidelines for Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities to outline minimum standards for design and construction of residential health, care, and support facilities for long-term care.”

 

The FGI Guidelines are used as the governing standards by organizations like the Joint Commission (JC) when they conduct site survey evaluations for the accreditation of health care providers. The Guidelines are comprehensive standards which cover topics from the planning, design, construction and commissioning of facilities, to the specific requirements for each of a wide variety of facility types, serving a range of patients and procedures.

 

Of particular interest for us are the FGI requirements for the acoustical design of facilities. The topics covered include meeting legal requirements for speech privacy for HIPAA, workplace noise for OSHA, local and state building codes, and local and state limits on environmental sound from facility exterior noise sources.

 

The FGI Guidelines undergo a revision process every four years. The next edition of the Guidelines will be published in 2018. As stated on the FGI web site: “The draft 2018 FGI Guidelines documents are available for public review and comment until December 12. The Health Guidelines Revision Committee counts on public review of the proposed changes, and we hope you will review the documents and submit your comments using the comment system for each book: 2018 FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals, 2018 FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities, and 2018 FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities.” To learn more about the comment process and to obtain a drafts of the 2018 documents, use the following link:

http://www.fgiguidelines.org/revision-process/2018-revision-cycle/public-comment-period

 

A seminar on facility standards was held by the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association (SFHHA) late last year. Presenters at that seminar representing the Joint Commission (JC) included George Mills, Director of Engineering, and Jim Woodson, Engineer. According to the JC, they are using the 2010 edition of the Guidelines for their facility surveys. Interestingly, when asked when they would switch to the 2014 edition, they indicated that they will probably skip it and wait until the 2018 edition to change.

 

So, it is important to review the draft 2018 FGI documents NOW, and provide your comments before the Public Comment Period closes on December 12.

 

We welcome your thoughts on the acoustics of facilities, and how it relates to your efforts to create an environment of healing.