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Brambilla A, Sun TZ, Elshazly W, Ghazy A, Barach P, Lindahl G, Capolongo S. Flexibility during the COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Healthcare Facility Assessment Tools for Resilient Evaluation. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:ijerph182111478. [PMID: 34769993 PMCID: PMC8583089 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Healthcare facilities are facing huge challenges due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Around the world, national healthcare contingency plans have struggled to cope with the population health impact of COVID-19, with healthcare facilities and critical care systems buckling under the extraordinary pressures. COVID-19 has starkly highlighted the lack of reliable operational tools for assessing the level sof flexibility of a hospital building to support strategic and agile decision making. The aim of this study was to modify, improve and test an existing assessment tool for evaluating hospital facilities flexibility and resilience. We followed a five-step process for collecting data by (i) doing a literature review about flexibility principles and strategies, (ii) reviewing healthcare design guidelines, (iii) examining international healthcare facilities case studies, (iv) conducting a critical review and optimization of the existing tool, and (v) assessing the usability of the evaluation tool. The new version of the OFAT framework (Optimized Flexibility Assessment Tool) is composed of nine evaluation parameters and subdivided into measurable variables with scores ranging from 0 to 10. The pilot testing of case studies enabled the assessment and verification the OFAT validity and reliability in support of decision makers in addressing flexibility of hospital design and/or operations. Healthcare buildings need to be designed and built based on principles of flexibility to accommodate current healthcare operations, adapting to time-sensitive physical transformations and responding to contemporary and future public health emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Brambilla
- Design and Health Lab, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (T.-z.S.); (P.B.); (G.L.); (S.C.)
- Center for Healthcare Architecture (CVA), Division of Building Design, Department Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE), Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Goteborg, Sweden
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0223995140
| | - Tian-zhi Sun
- Design and Health Lab, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (T.-z.S.); (P.B.); (G.L.); (S.C.)
| | - Waleed Elshazly
- School of Architecture and Urban Planning (AUIC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (W.E.); (A.G.)
| | - Ahmed Ghazy
- School of Architecture and Urban Planning (AUIC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (W.E.); (A.G.)
| | - Paul Barach
- Design and Health Lab, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (T.-z.S.); (P.B.); (G.L.); (S.C.)
- Jefferson College of Population Health, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
- School of Medicine and Law, Sigmund Freud University, 1020 Vienna, Austria
| | - Göran Lindahl
- Design and Health Lab, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (T.-z.S.); (P.B.); (G.L.); (S.C.)
- Center for Healthcare Architecture (CVA), Division of Building Design, Department Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE), Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Goteborg, Sweden
| | - Stefano Capolongo
- Design and Health Lab, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (T.-z.S.); (P.B.); (G.L.); (S.C.)
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Rizk M, Kandil A, Helal S, Elshazly W, Younan D, Elkemary E. TFAP2E and MLH1 Genes Methylation Pattern and Microsatellite Instability as Predictors of Rectal Cancer Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy. Kasr-Al-Aini J of Clin Onc and Nuc Med 2020. [DOI: 10.21608/resoncol.2020.36018.1106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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