Birth Center Planning - Floor Plan, Part 2 (Coursework Sample)

HCS/446: Facility Planning Week 4 Individual Assignment: Facility Planning—Floor Plan, Part 2 [Name] [School Affiliation] [Course] [Instructor] [Due Date] HCS/446: Facility Planning Week 4 Individual Assignment: Facility Planning—Floor Plan, Part 2 Birthing centers are standalone healthcare amenities designed for expecting mothers as alternative fetal delivery facilities to provide mothers a contented home-like feeling. Unlike in the early days, Caughey & Cheyney (2019) argue that the United States has seen a significant increase of birthing centers, with the rate increasing by 20% from 2004 to 2008 and 59% from 2008 to 2012. The American Association of Birth Centers (2017) states that birthing centers are a significant asset within the healthcare industry since they permit families to be involved during all pregnancy stages for their loved ones. Normally, the designing of birth centers is an intricate process since the center must follow several accountability requirements under guidelines from the federal, state, and local governments. The regulations are implemented to protect the newborns and the expecting mothers when staying in the facilities while the accountability requirements to thwart human blunder from becoming a stern menace to the patient. Regulatory Requirements Birth center regulations vary from state to state thus, birthing facilities must observe specific guidelines based on their locations. This designed birth center will be located in the state of Washington hence must adhere to the guidelines according to the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC) and the regulations published in the current edition of Guidelines and Construction of Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities. Moreover, a birth center must observe the set minimum National standards to avoid the inconsistent quality of care brought about by dissimilar regulations of each state. Each birth center must provide a safe and healthy atmosphere for pregnant women with zero complications during delivery. According to the American Association of Birth Centers (2017), the facilities should be designed in a model that supports birth, promotes self-care and family engagement, respects human dignity, respect cultural diversity, and focuses on education and disease prevention. In addition, the center should have regular inspections from local health departments, fire departments, and other public safety departments. The United States law via the American Public Health Association (APHA) clearly states that all birthing centers are obligated to have birthing rooms well equipped to support the safe delivery of babies. APHA states that the facilities should also have fire equipment, fetal monitor, sterile supplies, emergency kits, adequate oxygen for mothers and newborns, and laundry and kitchen areas. Caughey & Cheyney (2019) state that a birthing facility should be equipped with equipment that provides low-risk motherhood care and initiates emergency measures in life-threatening events to mothers and babies. The equipment includes oxygen and pressure cylinders, blood pressure equipment, sterilizers, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), intravenous (IV) equipment, portable lighting, infant temperature monitors, ventilation systems, blood expanders, and medications. Moreover, the specific regulatory requirements for Washington state, WAC 246-329-130, state that birthing centers must include a bed appropriate for labor, delivery, and post-natal recovery, suction and Fetal monitoring equipment, clocks, glucometers, and temperature monitoring equipment. The Guidelines for Licensing and Regulating Birth Centers by APHA state that delivery centers must have sanitization services, sanitary trash storages, waste and snow removal systems, hand washing equipment, and a disaster plan to ensure safety during disastrous events such as storms and floods. Design Changes This floor plan design's added assets and equipment, including fire extinguishers, family room, waste bins, kitchen area, smoking signs, and bathrooms. The walls were made thicker and soundproof to respect mothers' privacy, and television sets were added in the family room for entertainment. Furthermore, we added wicker baskets in the bathroom for dirty laundry. A resuscitator, oxygen machine, and fetal monitor were added to the birthing room for emergency purposes. We also added a pull-out sofa chair in the birthing room to allow a family member(s) to support the mothers and create comfort. Lastly, the floor plan incorporated more and wider exits to facilitate disaster events and enlarged the facility and storage rooms to accommodate all required equipment. All rooms will have warm colors such as blue, pink, and purple. Liability, Accountability, and Ethical Issues Despite the efficient implementation of all regulatory requirements, mistakes may still occur in the birthing centers. According to Hermus et al. (2017), birth centers should have liability insurance to cover any errors, and where the insurance is unavailable, the management should notify the clients to prevent future issues. Birthing centers have an obligation to collect data to increase patient safety and avoid prospective risks since they are accountable for any mishaps in the facility. Additionally, all healthcare providers and midwives in the center should observe all guidelines, regulations, and work ethics to achieve patient safety. Feeley et al. (2019) state that ethics are vital components of midwifery care, requiring midwives to make ethical decisions daily regardless of the settings where they provide their services. If placed in ethical dilemmas, the service providers should explain the...