Designing Hospital Headwalls - Five Things to Consider

Durability and Cleanability

The hospital headwall is arguably the most abused wall space in the entire healthcare facility. In a hospital, patients’ lives tend to be in jeopardy. The last thing the medical team should have to think about is how delicately they dock the patient bed in front of the headwall. During emergency situations, beds are frequently rolled into the patient room at high speeds. They stop in motion by the headwall where they intend to reside.

Walls need to withstand the abuse these walls receive. They also need to be easily cleaned or repaired when there is damage to the wall. This is for infection control and keeping the headwall looking fresh. Although it has been used for years, rigid vinyl wall protection doesn’t hold up over the long haul. It still requires maintenance and replacement in time. With all of the options out there, it’s almost like the only way to build a wall to withstand all the abuse a headwall receives is to clad it in steel!

Adaptability

The healthcare space is constantly evolving along with technology and new patient needs. The practice of designing hospital headwalls needs to evolve as well. When requiring different levels of acuity, headwalls should adjust to the needs of each patient. When maintenance or headwall updates are necessary, it’s important to make the change with limited downtime.

The focus should be to keep heads in beds so healthcare professionals can focus on maximizing the number of lives they touch. Needless to say, this especially goes for the for-profit healthcare systems out there. Keeping heads in beds will also help mitigate any lost revenue associated with having a patient room out of service for multiple days at a time. Finally, headwalls that can adapt to their ever-changing environment should also give you the ability to refresh the look and finish in the future. Ideally, this happens without the expense of replacing all the interior medical gases and electrical wiring.

Aesthetics

With the hospital headwall being the single biggest aesthetic focal point in most patient rooms, it’s important to consider the way they look. After all, they play a huge role in defining the comfort and feel of the patient room environment. Also, it’s important that visitors feel comfortable and at peace in the patient room space too. Fresh and current finishes which are well-coordinated with the other architectural elements in the patient room are critical.

Finally, healthcare staff walks in and out of similar looking patient rooms each day. It can be frighteningly too easy for the caregiver to be confused between patients and the rooms where they reside. This is especially important during night time hours when lighting is low. What if there were some visual cues to help aid the medical team in differentiating between patients? Sleek trim details. Various backlit images. Different colored ambient lighting. Even the ability to create custom looks on each patient room headwall can help to differentiate between patient rooms and reduce human error.

Customization

Every healthcare facility is different and they all have different processes and acuity levels. It is important to make sure the hospital headwalls and other medical equipment fit each medical staff’s preferences and workflow to ensure efficiency and organization during the caregiving process.

Medical teams have too many other things to think about. They shouldn’t have to worry about the various wires and hoses in the headwall space while they’re trying to treat a patient. Rather than trying to force fit your process to meet a manufacturer’s standard headwall design though, consider finding a partner who will work with you to create a headwall design which is specific to your needs and workflow. It will be important to find a supplier who can customize different parts of a headwall. Medical gas and electrical outlet locations, accessory rail placement, and nurse call monitoring systems should meet your standards. But can it happen without any special engineering fees or increased cost?

Full service partner

Frequently, most prefabricated hospital headwall systems are owner furnished contractor installed. When that is the case, the contractor usually gets the dry-waller or electrical subcontractor to install the product. This is usually met by the subcontractor with reluctance and inferior product knowledge. Oftentimes, higher installation pricing comes with this as well. This type of arrangement can also create a lot of finger pointing if problems arise after the installation. One may ask, “was the problem a manufacturer or installer issue?”

When you think about it, wouldn’t you prefer to trust the most defining aesthetic space in the patient room to craftsmen as opposed to the drywaller or electrician on the job? Consider using a headwall supplier who will manage and install their own product who has a reputation for commercial quality craftsmanship. On average, this will help ensure a better fit and finish, lower installation costs, and less finger pointing if problems arise.