Emergency healthcare architecture in Brazil

[edit] Introduction

Expectations about which direction will be the best path to be adopted in the different architectural scenarios for health have created a special challenge in Brazil during the pandemic of 2020/2021.

[edit] Brazilian experiences

In the Brazilian health system, it was possible to identify the different buildings for health assistance (EAS) dedicated specifically to the treatment of people affected by COVID-19:

• Hospitals that care exclusively for the patient with the disease, including existing units converted to service and units built temporarily for assistance.
• Hospitals for general disease care including COVID-19.

In most hospitals, a crisis committee was set up with professionals from management, assistance and technical areas such as architecture and engineering. The main concerns were related to changes in external and internal flows, the creation of beds dedicated to COVID, the mapping and or the acquisition of new equipment and the identification of the need to provide changes the air conditioning systems.

The first adaptations were; the creation of external environments for screening potentially infected patients, the separation of flows between different patients and the separation of access by the assistance team. Then came the zoning of inpatient areas, which defined exclusive areas for infected patients. Another fundamental item was the organisation of the areas of laboratory and imaging exams.

[edit] The floating hospital

The Floating Hospital was developed to attend emergency situations in the North Region. The equipment was installed on a floating raft and transported by river to its destination.

The arrangements in the space can vary from a large inpatient unit with 60 intensive care beds (with adaptable criticality allowing for the patient's stage of recovery in the bed itself), to a 30-bed hospital of medium complexity with an operating/obstetric centre, basic imaging, and laboratory. This includes technical and logistical support sectors necessary for its operation.

The air conditioning system was designed in full compliance with technical standards of air quality and international safety.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Building better homes in Brazil.
• Hospital.
• Hospital isolation rooms.
• Shelter.
• When hospital buildings are not healthy.