The Lefkofsky Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
(PICU) at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
received the ICU Design Citation from the American Association of
Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
The 40-bed medical and surgical ICU unit catering to patients ranging
from newborns to young adults received the award for its patient- and
family-focused design. The architects also took design and amenities
input from the members of the hospital’s Kids’ advisory board.
Located
on the 16th floor of the 23-storey hospital, the PICU’s single-patient
rooms were developed from a clinical and family perspective. All rooms
are private with designated family, patient and provider locations.
Families
visiting the unit are screened upon their arrival and are banded with a
colour-coded ID band that matches their child’s. The layout offers
patients and families more space and privacy, including more room for
family members to sleep at the bedside.
The Family Great Room has
been designed to offer a feeling of home, featuring a space to share a
meal in the dining area and a play area. The unit also features a CT
scanner that resembles a yellow submarine.
The hospital was opened in June 2012 at the downtown Chicago campus of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The
ICU Design Citation is co-sponsored by the Society of Critical Care
Medicine, Illinois and the Committee on Architecture for Health of the
American Institute of Architects, San Francisco.
Source: World Interior Design Network