OR “megafloor” combines inpatient, outpatient procedures

Editor's Note

A newly constructed surgical “megafloor” that connects inpatient and outpatient ORs promises to aid workflow and add flexibility for perioperative teams at The University of California Irvine (UCI) Health—Irvine campus, Healthcare Design reported October 7.

As detailed in the article, the academic center must accommodate a variety of surgeries, each requiring different personnel and resources. Meanwhile, advances in technology are making outpatient settings safe for surgeries previously restricted to hospital settings. This solution “allows the hospital to perform any surgery anywhere by altering the workflow and space designation as decided each day by the surgical department.”

Additionally, grouping inpatient and outpatient services enables supply chain and sterilization to operate “as a single large-scale operation,” the outlet reports. This results in improved quality control, reduced errors and waste, and faster turnover.

Measuring 56,000 square feet, the combined space has 18 ORs. As detailed in the article, computerized simulations of a year of operations helped test “any imaginable scenario” and prevent bottlenecks prior to construction.

Leaders also had to carefully consider regulatory requirements in making the hospital and outpatient buildings “seem like one building,” Healthcare Design reports. For example, the buildings are separated by a 4-hour fire barrier, designed to be invisible by implementing magnetically held, open-rated doors and hidden fire separations.”