Book excerpt: A new book from ACEP that will help you participate effectively-or lead the way-in the successful design of your emergency department. Emergency Department Design will teach you the design and planning process so that you and other caregivers can make decisions about what's best for your department. Whether you're building a new department, remodeling an existing one, expanding, or simply adding a new service, the critical decisions you'll make must be based on an understanding of the design process. Time and time again, the best results are achieved when caregivers drive this process, working with design professionals to plan not just for today's patients, but also for those of the future. Read this book and learn how to: Assess your space needs Set physical design goals that meet operational outcomes Define the scope of your project Select a design professional Evaluate the "workability" of proposed design solutions ...and much more. You'll minimize the complexity of the challenge, reduce wasted time, and focus on creating a design that fulfills your vision of how emergency care should be provided. The author is Jon Huddy, AIA, with FreemanWhite, Inc., a nationally renowned architectural firm specializing in emergency department design. Mr. Huddy brings a passion for emergency department design, a commitment to include caregivers in the design process, and an entertaining, energetic presentation style to this book. Michael T. Rapp, MD, JD, FACEP, past president of ACEP, served as editor and contributed his insights in a special introductory chapter, "The Emergency Physician's Perspective." Plus, more than 20 other emergency care professionals and architects have contributed case studies and "pearls and pitfalls" from their own personal experiences with emergency department design projects.