Criteria for Floor Finish Selection

in Healthcare Facilities:

A Survey of Facility Managers

Presentation by

Shashank Singhsinghs@tamu.edu; (979) 985 – 7014

Background

• Why do we bother? Floor finishes installed in a healthcare facility could greatly impact the

levels of comfort, health and safety among its users – patient and staff (Harris, 2015)

• So what? Patient experience in a hospital has a potential of generating reimbursable rates

(Harris & Detke, 2013)

• Any hurdles? Frequent cleanings and periodic fixing and replacement of floor finishes

generate continued expenditure during the life cycle of a healthcare facility (Harris &

Fitzgerald, 2015)

• But, someone would have bothered before? In the healthcare construction industry, the

preferred floor finish choices and their selection criteria have not been well understood

(Kaplan et. al, 2009; Lent et al., 2009; Sadatsafavi et al., 2015)

• So, what should we do now? An investigation of the preferences of facility managers

regarding finish materials and their selection criteria in healthcare design will assist decision

makers to make better choices (Lavy & Dixit, 2012; Sherif, 2013)

Problem Statement

In the healthcare construction industry, preferences of facility managers for floor finish choices

and their selection criteria have not been well understood.

Hence, an investigation of opinions of such professionals, who play a significant role during life

cycle of a facility; is important.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to identify:

• floor finish preferences of healthcare facility managers

• preferred selection criteria adopted by them for choosing floor finishes

Literature Review

• Floor finish selection is impacted by several criteria

• Selection criteria are dependent on the properties of floor finishes

• Selection criteria such as infection control, user safety and indoor air quality were found to be

critical

• Infection control: Bacteria found on environmental surfaces in a hospital are associated

with healthcare acquired infections (Harris et al., 2009)

• User safety: Falls occur frequently in hospitals and cost about $3.6 billion annually (Gulwadi

& Calkins, 2008)

• Indoor air quality: Floor finish materials are responsible for the release of VOCs into the

indoor air of a building (Rossi & Lent, 2006)

Floor finishes:

1. Rubber flooring

2. Carpet flooring

3. Sheet vinyl flooring

4. Vinyl composition tiles (VCT)

5. Linoleum flooring

6. Ceramic tiles

7. Concrete flooring

8. Hardwood flooring

9. Laminated hardwood flooring

10. Mosaic flooring

Selection criteria:

1. Initial cost

2. Ease of installation

3. Maintenance cost

4. Ease of maintenance

5. Durability

6. Noise cancellation

7. Ease of movement

8. Underfoot comfort

9. User Safety

10. Flame resistance

11. Indoor air quality

12. Infection control

13. Sustainability

14. Aesthetics

15. Glare

16. Effect on healing

Literature Review: Findings

From the literature study, following floor finishes and their selection criteria were identified:

Literature Review: AnalysisResearch Study Research Methodology

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1 Drahota et al., 2007 Literature Review | Cochrane Systematic Review | Personal Interviews *

2 Harris, 2009 Experimental Analysis *

3 Harris, 2015 Longitudinal Comparative Cohort Study * *

4 Harris & Detke, 2013 Literature Review * * * * * *

5 Harris & Fitzgerald, 2015 Life Cycle Cost Assessment * * *

6 Hutter et al., 2006 Sample Study | Questionnaire Survey * *

7 Kaplan et al., 2009 Personal Interviews | Literature Review * * *

8 Lankford et al., 2006 Experimental Study *

9 Larsson et al., 2010 Cohort Study | Questionnaire Survey *

10 Lent et al., 2009 Comparative Analysis * * * *

11 Lent et al., 2010 Literature Review * *

12 Lozada-Figueroa, 2004 Literature Review | Data Analysis | Life Cycle Cost Assessment * * * * *

13 Okcu et al., 2011 Observational Study *

14 Oliver et al., 2007 Meta-analysis | Meta-regression *

15 Onaran, 2009 Field Study * * * * * * * *

16 Onaran, 2009 Literature Review * * * * * * * * * * * *

17 Petersen & Solberg, 2004 Life Cycle Assessment | Case Study * *

18 Quan et al., 2011 Literature Review | Case Study | Questionnaire Survey * * * * *

19 Reiling et al., 2008 Cross Sectional Study * * * *

20 Rossi & Lent, 2006 Case Study * * * * * * *

21 Sadatsafavi et al., 2015 Cross Sectional Study * * * * *

22 Sauerhoff, 2008 Literature Review * *

23 Sjöberg & Ramnäs, 2007 Experimental Parametric Study *

24 Tuladhar et al., 2015 Triple Bottom Line Assessment * * * * *

25 White, 2007 Literature Review * * * * * * * * * * * *

26 Wilson & Ridgway, 2006 Observational Study * * * *

27 Federal Facilities Council, 2001 Life Cycle Cost Assessment * * * *

28 Baker, 2006 Literature Review * *

29 Schweitzer et al., 2004 Literature Review * *

30 Borrelli, 2007 Headspace Analysis * * * * *

31 Bower, 2006 Case Study * * * * * *

32 Pati et al., 2009 Analysis of existing data * * *

33 Foarde & Berry, 2004 Observational Study * *

34 Sherif, 2013 Questionnaire Survey * * * * * * *

35 Kishk et al., 2007 Experimental Study * * * * * *

36 Warren & Hanger, 2012 Longitudinal Observational Study * *

37 Lange, 2012 Experimental Study *

38 Harris et al., 2009 Sample Study *

39 Wahlström et al., 2012 Observational Study *

40 Tse, 2005 Literature Review *

Note. This table identifies the selection criteria considered critical by the corresponding research studies

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Selection Criteria - Frequency Chart

Selection Criteria

Literature Review: Findings

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Survey Study Design

Questionnaire survey consists of four questions:

• Question 1 aims to find out the about the type of floor finish currently installed in the

different units of the healthcare facility the respondents are associated with. It also requires

them to rate the performance of floor finishes based on their satisfaction level

• Question 2 aims to find out the about the selection criteria that the facility managers would

specify for the selection of the type of floor finish in the different units of an acute-care

hospital. It also requires them to rate the significance of floor finishes based on their

experience

• Question 3aims to find out about the preference of facility managers for the type of floor

finish in the different units of the healthcare facility they are associated with. It asks them to

rank their preferences of the type of floor finish

• Question 4 aims to find out about the preference of facility managers for the various

selection criteria adopted to choose the type of floor finish in the different units of an acute-

care hospital. It asks them to rank their preferences of selection criteria

Thank You!

Criteria for Floor Finish Selection

in Healthcare Facilities:

A Survey of Facility Managers

Presentation by

Shashank Singhsinghs@tamu.edu; (979) 985 – 7014