COVID-19 Guides Hospitals of the Future

Tim Putnam operates a small hospital in rural¹ Indiana. In March 2020, the 25-bed facility got hit very hard by COVID-19.

"We had more cases per capita in our region² than, I believe, anywhere," said Putnam, head of Margaret Mary Health. "We were equal to New York City."

At the worst point of the pandemic, Putnam's employees were caring for 40 patients. One of the hospital's biggest struggles was trying to effectively treat a flood of long-term patients.

Many local community members came forward to do what they could to help. Some donated or made face coverings for health care workers. A local dealer³ of recreational vehicles offered to provide free use of the vehicles for treating patients or as a place for workers to sleep.

Several hospital employees at Margaret Mary Health got sick, but all of them recovered.

Hospitals across the United States have faced similar problems during the pandemic. Before the crisis⁴, they had not thought much about how to quickly adapt during a health care emergency.

Today, many American hospitals remain more centered on services for outpatients – people who come to the hospital for treatment, but do not need to stay overnight⁵.

Putnam said 83 percent of his hospital's money comes from outpatient work. As a result, he said a lot of the hospital's inpatient areas were unused before the COVID-19 health crisis.

The pandemic has forced many hospitals to rethink how to keep their communities safe and healthy. Putnam has spoken to hospital design experts to better prepare his hospital for the next disaster.

Jim Albert designs health care centers for a living. He says most hospitals were not designed to serve a large increase in patients. But that is starting to change, with designers working to create more adaptable⁶ spaces. For example, putting more power outlets⁷ on a wall or increasing pipe sizes could support more machines to assist⁸ breathing.

Albert said effective planning can save money and permit "far greater flexibility⁹" in how spaces are used. "Could we put two patients in every room in a true emergency, if we had to?"

Putnam is seeking a hospital design that can adapt to changing needs in different emergency situations that could arise. "The design cannot be a static¹⁰ design," he said.

As an example, Putnam said that during a crisis, the physical therapy¹¹ center might need to become an operating room. Administrative¹² offices may need to turn into space for patient care. That kind of adaptability¹³ needs to be built into the building's design, he added.

Emergency waiting rooms

Another much bigger concern for hospitals after COVID-19 is preventing the spread of infection. This could greatly change the way public spaces in hospitals, like waiting rooms, are designed.

For example, patients could be asked to wait in their vehicles outside the building until they can be seen. Or, a whole area of the emergency department might be created to only treat infectious¹⁴ patients.

Spaces for hospital employees might also change. Fewer people could share workspaces and there could be fewer break rooms. Non-medical workers could be moved out of the hospital to work from home, Albert said.

Another concern is ventilation. In most hospitals, only about one-third of the air is brought in from the outside. But one hospital Albert is currently¹⁵ designing would provide fully¹⁶ fresh air to some rooms.

Hospitals of the future

Hospitals are also looking for new ways to keep patients healthy so they will not need to go to the hospital. One plan is to increase the number of online doctor visits.

Putnam and other hospital officials say community hospitals need to be ready and flexible to deal with the next medical emergency, whatever that may be. That is why it will be important to design centers that can meet that need.

"I would really encourage people not to design the hospital they wanted for this pandemic, but think of all the other possible things," Putnam said.

Words in This Story

per capita -adj, adv. by or for each person

recreational vehicle-n. a large motor vehicle in which you can sleep and often cook

adapt-v. to change your behavior so that it is easier to live in a particular place or situation

flexible–adj. able to change or to do different things

static-adj. showing little or no change, action, or progress

ventilate-v. to allow fresh air to enter and move through (a room, building, etc.)

encourage-v. to talk or behave in a way that gives someone confidence to do something

1 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

2 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。

3 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

4 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

5 overnight   

ad.前一天晚上，一夜间 a.前一天晚上的

参考例句：

• She stayed overnight in the hotel. 她在旅馆过了一夜。
• Our success is not won overnight. 我们的成功不是一夜之间得来的。

6 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

7 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 assist   

vt.协助，帮助，促进；vi.帮忙，参加

参考例句：

• He asked us to assist him in carrying through their plan.他要我们帮助他实施他们的计划。
• We'll assist at your wedding.我们将出席你们的婚礼。

9 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

10 static   

adj.静的；静态的

参考例句：

• Don't view things as static and isolated.不要静止地孤立地看待事物。
• What is the difference between static and non-static variables?静态变量和非静态变量有何不同？

11 therapy   

n.治疗；疗法

参考例句：

• The doctor said she should be given a physical therapy.医生说她应该进行理疗。
• She will need to have the therapy repeated every few months.她将需要每隔几个月就进行一次治疗。

12 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

13 adaptability   

n.适应性

参考例句：

• It has a wide range of adaptability.它的应用性广。

14 infectious   

adj.传染的，有传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
• What an infectious laugh she has!她的笑声多么具有感染力啊！

15 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

16 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。