Obstetric departments (maternity hospitals) are located both in separate independent buildings, and as part of multidisciplinary hospitals – in an isolated unit.
The obstetric departments include: physiological birth department – for healthy women in childbirth; Department of Pregnancy Pathology; observational birth ward for women in labor with pustular skin diseases, flu, sore throat, fever and suspected infectious diseases.
Architectural and planning decisions of obstetric departments should provide:
• clear zoning (strict isolation of healthy and sick women in labor);
• the cyclical nature of their filling and sanitation;
• streamlining of nosocomial flows;
• optimal working conditions for personnel. To prevent nosocomial infections, all rooms (except the lobby and filter) should be separate for the physiological (“clean” stream) and observational departments (“dirty” stream). In the reception room, a “filter” is arranged through which pregnant women and women in labor pass from the lobby. In the filter, thermometry, anamnesis collection, refinement of epidemiological data and examination are carried out, and then they enter the examination rooms, separate for the physiological and observational departments. At each viewing room, a sanitary treatment room with a shower and toilet is arranged. In the observational departments, a sanitary inspection room for personnel and showers should be equipped at the rate of 1 cabin for 5 people. Reception and sanitation of women with pathology of pregnancy are carried out in the physiological department. The rooms for the discharge of puerperas from the physiological and observational departments should be separate. Both the physiological and the observational departments have a certain autonomous set of diagnostic and treatment and support facilities:
• rooms for deliveries (examination, prenatal rooms, birth unit, postpartum rooms, intensive care unit, rooms for newborns, etc.);
• operating rooms (preoperative, anesthetic, operating rooms large and small, postoperative wards, etc.);
• auxiliary rooms.
A list of all necessary premises with an indication of the normative areas is given in the assignment for independent work of students.
Generic physiological department
A generic physiological department is formed, as a rule, with a number of beds of 100 or more. In front of the birth chambers should be preparatory for staff.
Calculations of the number of beds in obstetric units are based on the number of beds in the postpartum physiological department (PFD), which is 50–55% of the total number of obstetric beds and an additional 10% of reserve beds are planned.
There should be no more than 20 beds in the infant unit. It is allowed to place chambers of newborns between chambers of puerperas. In this case, a gateway should be provided before entering the neonatal ward .
For the joint stay of mother and child, single or double boxed or semi-boxed mother-child chambers are intended.
In obstetric wards, all chambers should have private locks, and the number of chambers for 1-2 beds should be at least 5.