A Patient Handling and Movement Needs Assessment Toolkit

By James Harrell, FAIA, FACHA and Regan Henry, PhD, AIA

Revised 2019, the FGI Guidelines, stipulates that the governing body of the health care facility provide a Patient Handling and Movement Needs Assessment (PHAMA) to the design team on facility improvement projects. A PHAMA is intended to evaluate the movement and handling of patients in order to assess safety risk – for patients and staff – and identify best practices. This is an integral part of the pre-design functional and space programming process. It should be updated as new information becomes available during throughout project design, construction, and commissioning. PHAMA recommendations and revisions are intended to inform the design about patient handling and movement (PHAM) equipment and associated accessories to be used in specific locations. Such advice includes information about any spatial, structural, utility or design considerations related to installation, use, and servicing of such equipment.

Many healthcare providers have adopted policies and procedures for safe patient handling and mobility, but it is unclear how many design projects are implemented using a PHAMA. There are a number of states in which the preparation and use of a PHAMA occurs rarely, or not at all. In this White Paper we will elaborate upon the FGI’s recommendations by discussing specific factors to be addressed in a PHAMA and draft sample PHAMAs for a variety of spaces and high risk patient populations. It is our aim that this White Paper be used as a tool for hospital administrators and designers as they draft PHAMAs for their respective projects.