Abstract:
An orthopedic operating room is defined as a room for the performance of surgical procedures on bones and joints. Therefore, an orthopedic operating room is very important and requires special care in its architectural design and engineering. The study aims to investigate the standards of architectural design, wall, flooring, ceiling materials, and other engineering systems in orthopedic operating rooms at hospitals. Then, the study tackles problems in designing the orthopedic operating room at Hatyai Hospital, and suggests ways to renovate it to be safer and more sterile. The research methods include surveys of orthopedic surgery rooms and interviews with specialist nurses who work in the orthopedic operating room at Hatyai Hospital. The researcher also collected data from documents and surveyed four hospitals. The advantages and drawbacks of the orthopedic operating rooms in the four hospitals were then compared in order to develop the design for the orthopedic operating room at Hatyai Hospital. It was found that the orthopedic operating room I (Ortho 1) at Hatyai Hospital did not have good architectural and engineering designs (room patterns, space, floors, walls, doors, ceiling, electricity system, sanitation system, air control system, and gas system). While the study suggests ways to improve the design of the orthopedic operating rooms at Hatyai Hospital, there are some parts of orthopedic operating room III (Ortho 3) which cannot be improved due to pre-existing conditions. Instead, the research suggested ways it could be renovated. The suggestions can also be applied to orthopedic operating rooms at other hospitals.