Canada’s first smart hospital is becoming a reality

By Catalina Guran

Mackenzie Health marked the largest milestone to date for the Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital project with the beginning of construction in October 2016. Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will be the first new hospital to be built in Ontario’s York Region in the last 30 years. As part of Mackenzie Health’s two-site hospital model, Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital and Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital will provide increased access to state-of-the-art healthcare for its growing communities, closer to home.

Upon completion in 2020, Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will provide a state-of-the-art emergency department, modern surgical services, advanced diagnostic imaging, ambulatory clinics and intensive care beds. Other specialized services will include Medicine, Birthing (Obstetrics), Pediatrics, Mental Health and the York Region District Stroke Centre. The new hospital will have approximately 350 beds on opening day – with capacity to expand to 550 – and the majority of patient rooms will be private, a best practice in infection prevention and control.

Smart hospital vision & smart workflows

Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will be the first hospital in Canada to feature fully integrated ‘smart’ technology systems and medical devices that can speak directly to one another to maximize information exchange. To achieve this, Mackenzie Health is re-visioning its care delivery model.  A connected health strategy, utilizing unified communications and the Internet of Healthcare Things (IOHT), will enable intuitive, patient-centred, highly-efficient, quality healthcare. The smart hospital vision will be applied at Mackenzie Health’s new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital as well as at the existing Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, for a seamless care experience.

Seventy-five smart workflows are being developed to improve the way staff work, to ultimately allow caregivers more time with patients. One example of such smart flow currently under development focuses on Code Blue (cardiac arrest) response. Through integrated technology, the vital signs monitor will send a silent alert directly to the Critical Care Response Team. The team members will be wearing smart real-time location services (RTLS) badges that will automatically override the elevators once they are in proximity, saving valuable time. At the same time the alert is triggered, the bed will automatically return to a flat position, to allow for resuscitation, and the IV pump will stop dispensing narcotics that may cause respiratory depression. A summary of the patient’s medical record will also appear on the room display, for caregivers’ easy reference. Once the Response Team has arrived, the alerts will stop automatically.

Designed through the eyes of the patient

The new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital is being designed through the eyes of the patient, connected to nature and enabled by smart technology. Eight kilometres west of the existing Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and just north of Canada’s Wonderland, Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will have generous drop-off areas and dedicated entrances for emergency and labouring patients, respectively.

With its double-height ceiling and filled with daylight and warm, natural materials, the Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre and main lobby will be a relaxed, welcoming environment for patients, visitors and staff. The Welcome Desk, Registration and the main public elevators will be visible upon entering the hospital, making wayfinding simple and clear. When arriving at Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, patients will have the option of using an information kiosk or smartphone application to schedule and register for appointments and find their way within the hospital, including accessing information about non-medical services (i.e. coffee, food, retail). A feature stair will be set against a large, multi-storey glazed wall overlooking the main courtyard. Visitors will also have orienting views to the outside at each public elevator lobby across the facility, a key component of intuitive wayfinding.

Inpatient rooms will be efficiently organized with communication stations nearby, ensuring that staff are readily accessible to patients, while respecting patient privacy. Electronic status boards will be displayed in patient care areas and will automatically include details on infection prevention and control, as well as patient information, including allergies and falls risk.

Designed for the needs of patients and families, rooms will also feature natural wood accent materials to bring a sense of home and warmth, and ample space for family and visitors. A proven aid in recovery, large windows will provide expansive views to the outside. Through an Integrated Bedside Solution (IBS), patients, physicians and staff will have access to medical and non-medical information at the patient’s bedside. Examples of these services could include: patient entertainment, meal selection, room controls such as temperature and lights, video conference capabilities for remote consulting or speaking with family, real-time translation services, as well as an electronic medical record portal for staff that will display medications, allergies, vital signs, diagnostic reports and images.

What’s next?

With the implementation stage well underway, the design of Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital’s interior space continues to be developed with construction ramping up in early 2017.

For more information and to view the renderings and fly-through video of the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, visit www.mackenziehealth.ca/mvh