Blog contribution by Paul McKinney, EDAC, National Healthcare Segment Director, Gerflor USA.

Behavioral Health is among the fastest growing applications in the healthcare space. The challenges involved in marrying the performance attributes required of an acute behavioral facility, while also achieving desired aesthetic outcomes, can be daunting.

Facility designers are first challenged with determining the requirements of flooring and other finishes based on the nature of the patient population: Is a softer, cushioned floor the best option, or is durability the overriding objective, while still trying to maximize comfort and safety? We understand that some degree of durability will be sacrificed when softer or cushioned floors are installed.

At Gerflor, we make the world’s leading cushion-backed sports floor in Taraflex and have used it in many Behavioral Health applications. Having said that, most of our BH work in recent years has centered around durability requirements and the related safety attributes that flooring and integrated wall systems can provide, while also helping to achieve the warmth and other aesthetic benefits to help make spaces look less institutional.

Durability attributes in a flooring system that can directly affect Clinical, Operational, and Business outcomes in a BH space include aspects such as surface density, weld integrity, scratch resistance, pliability, and integration to wall systems. Behavioral Health spaces are more susceptible to damage after installation.

Examples of durability challenges for floors and walls in harsh behavioral health environments.

Durability in resilient floor coverings can involve a variety of different concerns. The “science” with which a product is made (number of fillers and binders, for instance) can impact many features. Independent testing by credible 3rd parties supports Evidence Based Design principles and should be referenced whenever possible.

Surface density with which a product is manufactured can influence things such as chemical resistance; critical in determining which disinfectants and cleaning agents are suitable for a surface.

Third party testing and verification by an organization such as Steris, ASTM, and ISO can determine that a surface is resistant to any of the active ingredients used in Disinfectants as well as any staining agents typically found in acute healthcare environments. Surface Density also can affect aspects such as puncture resistance.

This product makeup also directly affects Weld Integrity. Breaking welds are a major concern in BH applications and other Acute care applications such as Operating Rooms. Strength of welds can be verified by 3rd party testing such as ISO 10581, and EN 684 to determine best-in-class performance.

Scratch resistance is a primary concern in BH spaces as heavy furniture can be dragged across floors and cause unsightly damage as well as potentially compromise the structural integrity of the surface. Again, depending on the make-up of the product itself, all product types and materials are not created equal and higher concentrations of binders and fillers can cause some products to scratch more easily.

This theme of product makeup can also affect the pliability of a product. Products that are stiffer or brittle are more difficult to install, particularly in flash-coved (integral base) applications and can lead to seams that are more likely to fail, and cracking in the product itself.

“For those building behavioral health spaces, the complexity between floor and walls is often identified as a challenge”
– Randall Carter, EDAC, Vice President for Relationship Development, The Center for Health Design.

LEAN / IPD objectives stress reducing complexity to avoid future problems. The traditional way floors / walls are transitioned between involves a metal or vinyl cap that can potentially become dislodged and be a source of self-harm or harm to others, as well as a source where pathogens can harbor.

Best practices would indicate that an integrated floor and wall system, from a single manufacturer, offers the best opportunity for optimal performance and warranty. Features of the Gerflor system are that the floor and wall are the exact same thickness and can be joined with a pick-resistant welding system. This approach offers the best opportunity for optimizing safety outcomes and reducing complexity involved with excessive parts and pieces and different manufacturer systems trying to work together.

The Gerflor Mipolam Floor and Wall system also offer virtually unlimited options in terms of color and visual. The same clean, sterile wall aesthetic that may be perfect for an Operating Room or a Compounding Pharmacy may be deemed unsuitable for a Behavioral Health space that may require a warmer or more biophilic aesthetic approach.

Today’s technology allows us to take the aesthetic discussion even a step further. In severe acute settings, it may not be feasible to install traditional artwork on walls, again for concern of self-harm or harm to others. Utilizing a digital printing process, artwork or photography of any sort can be integrated into the wall system as either full sized “murals” or smaller “pictures”. This integration utilizes all aspects of the system (pick-resistant and different surfaces of the same thickness welded together) that the standard Gerflor wall / floor integration realizes, while allowing the warmth and positive distraction of comforting art or photography.

Whether your Behavioral Health Space stresses comfort, durability, aesthetics, integration or the optimal balance of all these features, at Gerflor we have the system to meet these challenges. We look forward to the chance to hear from you and discuss this in further depth.