December 2, 2024
SnapCab Care – a mobile exam room that is used for testing patients at a local COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, SnapCab developed the SnapCab Care pod, a modular, movable healthcare room designed to enhance patient privacy, safety, and comfort during medical testing and isolation. SnapCab developed this pod with the expert guidance of Dr. Joy Hataley, a family practice anesthetist and the District Chair of the Ontario Medical Association, ensuring the solution met the highest medical standards.
The SnapCab Care pod was deployed to the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) COVID-19 Assessment Centre (AC) as part of the hospital’s response to the pandemic. The aim was to provide a private and secure space for COVID-19 testing, enabling healthcare workers to conduct assessments with minimal risk to patients and staff while improving the overall experience for both groups.
Compact and functional interiors support streamlined medical assessments.
Healthcare facilities like the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) faced critical challenges in adapting their existing infrastructure to meet the urgent demands of the pandemic. Traditional built-out rooms, while suitable for routine healthcare operations, proved inadequate for addressing the unique requirements posed by the pandemic:
Permanent healthcare rooms couldn’t adapt to accommodate fluctuating patient volumes, implement physical distancing measures, and maintain airflow control critical to minimizing viral transmission. Modifying these rooms took both time and money, requiring significant structural changes and downtime.
Many facilities used temporary setups or open spaces, compromising patient privacy and comfort during sensitive procedures like COVID-19 testing. Patients often felt heightened stress in such environments, exacerbating the challenges of providing effective care.
Existing spaces were not designed for the rapid and streamlined workflows necessitated by pandemic conditions. Healthcare workers needed a solution that would enable efficient testing and assessments without requiring extensive modifications to the hospital’s layout.
Built-out rooms lacked the ability to isolate potentially infectious patients in a controlled environment. This heightened the risk of exposure for both staff and other patients, straining already overburdened healthcare systems.
A thoughtfully designed space with medical-grade materials for hygiene and durability.
A heartwarming reminder on the SnapCab Care pod’s exterior, spreading positivity and unity through its community-inspired design.
SnapCab’s Custom Privacy Pods offer an unlocked design and can customized to address the unique requirements of many applications. The SnapCab Care pod was specifically designed to address KHSC’s challenges outlined above, offering a modular, movable, and customizable healthcare space. Key features included:
Unlike permanent rooms, the pod could be installed quickly and moved as needed to optimize hospital layouts. This flexibility ensured KHSC could scale operations based on patient volume without delays.
Equipped with medical-grade air filtration, the pod provided clean air circulation to reduce the risk of viral transmission, ensuring a safer environment for both patients and healthcare workers.
The enclosed design of the pod ensured a private and stress-reducing space for patients undergoing sensitive assessments. This privacy fostered a more positive experience and increased patient confidence in the care they received.
The pod’s compact yet functional layout allowed for efficient workflows, enabling staff to conduct assessments with minimal disruption. Customizable layouts ensured that the pod met the specific needs of healthcare providers.
Built with materials that were easy to sanitize and resistant to wear, the pod ensured compliance with strict infection control protocols while standing up to heavy use in a healthcare setting.
By integrating these features into a single solution, the SnapCab Care pod offered KHSC the flexibility and functionality needed to navigate the most critical challenges of the pandemic, setting a new standard for adaptable healthcare spaces.
The development of the SnapCab Care pod was guided by Dr. Joy Hataley and other local medical professionals, including Dr. Omar Islam, Department Head of Diagnostic Radiology at Queen’s University, and Dr. Johanna Ortiz, a radiologist. These experts contributed invaluable insight into the pod’s design and functionality to ensure it supported safe, efficient, and private medical interactions.
In addition to medical professionals’ donations, the community embraced the initiative. Dr. Andrea Gallo Hoyos, a radiology specialist at KHSC, noted, “This situation makes us more conscious about our role in helping each other. We are not isolated individuals. We are a community.” Her donation helped to provide essential equipment to the pod, further reinforcing the local support for this healthcare solution.
The SnapCab Care pod offered numerous benefits for both patients and healthcare workers:
As Dr. Ortiz highlighted, the pod’s design minimized stress for patients while making healthcare workers feel safer. This was a significant achievement in the healthcare sector, which was struggling to maintain privacy and security amid the high demand for testing and the need for physical distancing.
A thoughtfully designed space with medical-grade materials for hygiene and durability.
Child-friendly graphics that include illustrations of an aerial drawing of Kingston, hands holding hands representing the community coming together.
The SnapCab Care pod has been widely recognized for its innovation and positive impact on the healthcare sector:
These accolades underscore SnapCab’s role as an industry leader in modular healthcare design and its commitment to creating flexible, safe, and scalable solutions for healthcare spaces.
While the SnapCab Care pod was initially developed to meet urgent pandemic needs, its modular and adaptable design ensures it will remain a valuable asset for healthcare facilities long after the pandemic. As the healthcare sector continues to evolve, particularly with a focus on patient-centric care and flexible space utilization, the SnapCab Care pod represents a forward-thinking solution that addresses both current and future needs in healthcare design.
The pod’s adaptability to different medical environments, its emphasis on privacy, and its ease of integration into existing healthcare infrastructures make it an ideal solution for modular healthcare spaces, especially in settings that require flexible, movable rooms to accommodate shifting patient needs and workflows.
Tailored configurations to meet the unique needs of healthcare facilities.
One-way glass windows provide visual privacy and reduce stress during assessments.
The SnapCab Care pod is a prime example of how flexible, modular solutions can have a lasting impact on healthcare spaces. With its privacy-focused design and ability to be easily moved and integrated into various settings, it supports better patient experiences, improved healthcare worker safety, and more efficient workflows. Its recognition and success in meeting the challenges of the pandemic have solidified its place as a crucial tool for future healthcare environments.
Custom Size & Layout
Easily Movable with High-load Phenolic Casters
Barrier-Free Exam Room
One-Way Glass Window
Seismic Compliant
Legacy Downlights
Medical Grade Materials
HEPA Filtered Air System
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