What egress requirements are there for patient room doors?

While requirements can vary depending on project location, generally patient room doors along exit corridors are required to meet multiple opening width and operation requirements.

One example of the many possible model codes that may govern a project is the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Life Safety Code (NFPA 101). It requires doors to open to a minimum of 32 inches, but sometimes this number can be as wide as 41.5 inches. Further, according to Lori Greene on iDigHardware, “Doors serving a means of egress are usually required to be swinging doors, although there are some exceptions.”

The direction of swing largely depends on occupant loads. When a door serves an occupant load of 50 people or more, it must swing in the direction of egress. The requirement for doors to swing in the direction of egress also applies to exit enclosures and high hazard occupancies. For rooms that are not within these designations or have an occupant load of less than 50 people, the door may swing into the room. No matter the swing direction, the forces needed to operate a door must be within certain limits. Finally, room size may impact the number of egress doors. According to NFPA 101, rooms to patient sleeping suites that are larger than 1,000 square-feet may also be required to have a second exit door as well—that threshold increases to 2,500 square-feet for non-sleeping suites. The requirements for hardware in these applications may be slightly different than a single or double occupancy room.

NFPA 101 is just one of the many model codes that may be the basis of a location’s particular building code. Local jurisdictions may also modify the requirements therein. In light of these variables, it is a best practice for project teams to consult local codes and clarify requirements with an Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) prior to specification. Doing so will mitigate errors and contribute to a code-compliant design.

How do flexible health care swing door systems meet code-driven requirements?

When building codes require doors to swing outward in the direction of egress, standard commercial sliding doors may not be code-compliant. That said, there are other code-compliant flexible opening door options available.

Health care swing door systems that have auxiliary leaves can achieve egress requirements, larger openings and minimal swing arc trajectories for day-to-day use. First and foremost, because these doors swing open, they meet typical operational requirements listed in the International Building Code (IBC) and NFPA 101.

While these doors can meet the minimum opening width requirement for everyday use, flexible health care swing door systems also have an auxiliary leaf. When providers activate it, they maximize their opening width on occasion without requiring large swing arcs for daily use. This can support the movement of large equipment, patient beds and bariatric wheelchairs. This allows design flexibility without sacrificing square footage to account for larger than average openings. 

Is there any way for health care sliding doors to meet egress requirements?

Although standard health care sliding doors may not meet building codes that require egress doors to swing out in the direction of exit, there are options for projects that want to maximize useable square footage.

For example, health care sliding doors may incorporate mechanisms that allow the door leaf to swing outward in emergency situations. These space-efficient and code-compliant doors for health care allow designers to eliminate swing arc trajectories for day-to-day operation without compromising occupant safety during an emergency.

Sliding door solutions that can break away in the direction of exit not only meet egress requirements for most patient room door applications, but they can also provide a cohesive design aesthetic for adjacent sliding doors that do not require a breakaway option.

Space-efficient and code-compliant doors for health care deliver significant project value

Meeting building as well as fire- and life-safety code requirements is necessary to obtain a certificate of occupancy. These constraints may seem to inhibit the amount of flexibility designers can plan for when it comes to patient room doors. However, health care sliding doors and flexible swing doors can accommodate both code requirements and efficiency goals simultaneously. And when these systems are available from a single manufacturer, they can offer a streamlined specification process and a cohesive design aesthetic.

It is important to note that flexible opening solutions can be used beyond patient room doors. Building professionals can utilize AD Systems’ Door Visualizer tool to learn where these systems can be specified throughout a health care facility.