CHAPTER VI

The purpose is rehabilitation, one must take into account the limited mobility and
acute sensitivity to the physical environment of those for whom the building is intended .

1.1 Architectural Features

Medical - The medical area provides the basis for the patients' total program at the
center . It must be accessible to all other areas and be well integrated with the
administration and admissions services .

The medical area of a rehabilitation center provides the following services: medical
evaluation, performed by the physician and his staff; physical therapy, including
hydrotherapy; occupational therapy; speech and hearing therapy. It also furnishes the
services of a prosthetic and/or orthotic appliance shop. The detailed character of the
medical area will vary with the program of the center itself. The emphases in the
medical program will be determined by the needs of the patients and by already existent
community medical facilities.

Physician - Medical diagnosis is the basis for development of the patient's successful
rehabilitation program. On admission, a medical examination is essential, whether the
patient is prescribed a program in one or several of the center's areas of activity:
physical medicine, social adjustment, or vocational rehabilitation. A nurse is usually
present during the examination.
 Waiting Room Arrange the furniture to allow space for wheelchair patients . Also,
include coat hanging facilities .

The Consultation Room includes in the furnishings for the physician's office and
consultation room an executive desk and chair, bookshelves, and film illuminator . Allow
space for two visitors' chairs and a wheelchair . Provide a convenient coat closet . (See
Fig . 3 .)

Examination Room Include in the furnishings for this room an examination table with
clearance on all sides, an examination light, a lavatory and mirror, clinical scales, a film
illuminator, an instrument and supply closet, a small electric pressure sterilizer (if no lab-
utility room is provided), and a chair . Standing bars are optional equipment .

Lab-Utility Room if a lab-utility room is provided, equip it with a pressure sterilizer, sink,
plaster cart, work counter, and storage cabinets .

Radiology is usually provided for rehabilitation centers by x-ray departments of

hospitals, clinics, and other institutions . If radiology is to form a part of the center's
services, standard practice in the design and construction of the department should be
followed (See Fig . 4 .)

Physical Therapy - physical therapy is to correct or alleviate bone and joint or neuromuscular
disabilities. This entails a concern with all types of physical disabilities, such as neurological
diseases, arthritis, amputation, paralysis, spasticity, structural and postural malalignments,
crippling accidents, postsurgical conditions, etc.

Organization of Space - There should be two major treatment areas, dry and wet . The
dry area includes the exercise room or gym and treatment cubicles ; whereas the wet
area includes all hydrotherapy treatment, tanks, pools, and related facilities .

Location Within Building The place for physical and occupational therapy, as well as
for activities of daily living, should be in close proximity

Staff-Patient Ratios One physical therapist can treat an average of 10 to 15 patients

per day.

Treatment Cubicles Divide the cubicles with curtain tracks for easy access by
wheelchair and stretcher patients and for flexibility in use of space, as for instructional
activity or gait training .

Waiting Area Provide space for wheelchair and ambulant patients ; and if there is a
nursing unit, space also for a stretcher.
Therapist's Office There should be staff office space for interviewing patients and
attending to administrative duties, as well as space for files, and a desk with a dictating
machine . Partition the office so that interviews may have acoustical privacy.

The Examining Room The room should be convenient to the entrance of the physical
therapy department.

Exercise Area This area should be a flexible, clear space for individual and group
exercise activities.