Froedtert Health saw a need to update their existing Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in their Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, due to small patient bedrooms that did not support a contemporary AMC learning experience, tertiary ICU care or family participation. Froedtert Health partnered with Kahler Slater to complete a 40,000 SF phased renovation of the two existing Neurology and Transplant ICUs, on two floors of their existing hospital.

The renovation includes 40 new ICU beds, 20 beds per floor, and design solutions to provide opportunities for improved patient care. A percentage of the new ICU bedrooms are designed as Acuity-adaptable rooms, with a toilet room and shower, to allow a wide range of care that can be individually tailored to the patients’ needs. All patient rooms have ceiling-mounted patient lifts for patient and staff safety, as well as family space to allow overnight stays. Centralized support spaces for staff, and decentralized patient charting spaces help to minimize footsteps for nurses, supporting staff and allowing more time for direct patient care.

In making improvements, the team strived for a positive patient experience and better work environment for staff. Some of the advancements of this project include:

• Standardizing nurse servers, deployed equipment, supplies and medications
• Creating decentralized nursing at the room instead of at a single central nurse station
• Designing larger rooms with more technology, facilitating more care/diagnostics in the room which minimizes patient transport