Bronson Methodist Hospital Research: The Relationship Between Patient Acuity, Time, Standards, and Productivity

Bronson Methodist Hospital Research: The Relationship Between Patient Acuity, Time, Standards, and Productivity is a webinar presentation on the impact of the design and built environment on the staff, workflows, and patients at a healthcare facility using the case study of Bronson Healthcare Group. 

When Bronson Healthcare Group in Kalamazoo, Michigan opened a new 343-bed acute care facility the design of the facility was so innovative at the time, with all private rooms, that its ambiance felt more like a hotel than a hospital. The structure was so different from the old facility that they partnered with the Industrial Engineering Department at Western Michigan University to determine what the impact of the built environment was on the nursing staff. Data was collected through direct and indirect observation using a variety of techniques and from that information, a modeling tool was developed that can help predict how design may impact staff.

Several years after the opening and a 40% increase in volume, the obstetric and neonatal departments were relocated to accommodate this growth. In planning for this relocation, a decision was made to create private NICU rooms. When the design team looked for best practice regarding private NICU rooms, there was limited scientific evidence about the impact of private rooms. A decision was made to repeat the previous research in the NICU setting both in the multi-bed nursery before the opening of the new department and then again after the private NICU rooms were in operation.

This webinar case study presentation reviews the early findings of the Bronson Healthcare Group research that was undertaken by their design time and what steps were taken as a result of the research.

Webinar Learning Objectives

Participants in this program will:

• Understand how the built environment can impact the work processes of staff.
• Be able to verbalize the methodologies used to collect data.
• Identify how modeling can impact design for better outcomes for staff and patients.

About the Speaker

Jacqueline R.F. Wahl
Executive Director, Support Services
Jacqueline Wahl has operational and strategic planning responsibility for Pharmacy, Case Management, Medical Social Work, Environmental Services and Patient Transport Services. She is a registered nurse with 28 years of experience at Bronson. Her experiences include staff nursing and management in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, leadership experience in information technology and several years of process improvement and re-engineering of healthcare. Wahl is a graduate of Nazareth College, formerly in Kalamazoo, where she received her Bachelor of Nursing degree. She later attended the University of Michigan to obtain her Master of Perinatal Nursing degree. Wahl is board certified as a Nursing Administrator through the American Nurses Credentialling Center. Wahl serves as the vice president on the Board of Directors for the Comstock Community Center. She is also the chairperson of the personnel committee at the Community Center. Wahl volunteers with the Comstock Public Schools and has worked with the board of education in developing a strategic plan for Comstock schools.