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Flooring Selection Positively Impacts Post-Occupancy Evaluation at Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for ChildrenAs a structural component that covers every square inch of a building, flooring impacts performance characteristics that have a lasting effect on staff efficiency and patient satisfaction.
In 2014, Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, in Wilmington, Delaware, completed a 557,000-square-foot hospital expansion, including 144 single patient rooms, 44 emergency department exam rooms and 200,000 square feet of nora premium rubber flooring.
Why flooring matters
The many benefits of premium rubber flooring helped to support the expansion goal of boosting Nemours’ Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). Appropriate floor coverings, such as premium rubber, in a hospital can influence acoustics, staff fatigue and retention, health and safety concerns, operational optimization, environmental considerations and life-cycle cost analysis.
Boost patients’ experience of care
Nemours selected products in its built environment as they relate to positive patient care and caregiver safety. Of these products, flooring was found to impact the perception of cleanliness and quietness in the hospital. nora® premium rubber flooring eliminated concerns of slipping, and provided quicker and chemical-free cleaning options, which boosted productivity and decreased room turn over time from 4 hours to 45 minutes.
The new rubber flooring eased caregivers’ concerns of cross-contamination when a family member climbed into bed with patients. The extremely dense, non-porous surface is inherently dirt repellent and does not serve as a media to microorganisms or propagate bacteria.
Return on investment
Overall, Nemours saw their HCAHPS score rise from the 60th to 90th percentile for patient experience and saw $31,000 in annual savings due to floor cleaning supplies. For more information on how flooring impacts performance goals and outcomes in hospitals, download our Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children whitepaper.