Health facilities planning: determining infrastructure requirements for form and function from clinical and operational capabilities.

This article describes the practical application of documenting the operational concept and scope of services for military combat hospitals providing joint health service support during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Due to the rapid changes that take place in healthcare in general, and, in particular, in a large, rapidly maturing military theater of operations, a clear operational concept and accurate scope of services is essential for hospital commanders and medical planners. A highly structured, yet flexible collaborative approach to health facility requirements development begins with a clinical concept of operations (CONOPS). Initial, up-front investment of time in the requirements process, and subsequent reviews and revisions result in a definitive description of the clinical and operational requirements. Those requirements in turn become the authoritative source for space, building systems, equipment, functional arrangements, and financial justification. A recent case study highlights the utility of the CONOPS document in translating the necessary clinical capabilities and capacities into facility space and building systems required to support them in a very tight schedule driven process normally not associated with the military construction program and in particular medical projects.