Sickbay

Sickbay, also known as the dispensary or as Medbay, is the medical center aboard a Federation starship like the Enterprise. Overseen by the Chief Medical Officer or a designated medical practitioner, Sickbay can analyze new lifeforms, care for wounded people, or develop new treatments for disease or illness.

Traditionally, Sickbay comprises of the following sections aboard a starship:

Treatment: The largest section of a Sickbay, Treatment contains biobeds for patients receiving medical care and were equipped with biofunction monitors. If necessary, surgery can be conducted in Treatment if there was an overflow of patients.
Laboratory: Small Laboratory facilities allow Medical Officers to monitor experiments or run tests here during their duty shift while larger Medical Labs offered additional support. Often, the Lab would include a computer desk where a doctor could conduct meetings with patients, staff, and others.
Surgical Bay: A specialized section of Sickbay, the Surgical Bay allows major surgeries to be performed and critical patients to be treated. Outfitted with a surgical biobed and support frame, the Surgical Bay has a sophisticated sensor cluster to give enhanced information about a patient's condition.

Aboard the Enterprise other treatment facilities were available to support the activities of Sickbay. Aid Stations were located throughout the Enterprise to allow for quick treatment of disease or illness not requiring the intervention of the larger Sickbay, while Infirmary compounds were available within the Security Compounds and could be used by personnel in an emergency. Counseling offices were located adjacent to each Sickbay. A large morgue facility was available to support storage of deceased patients until they could be offloaded for transport back to their homeworld, but autopsies were performed in one of the Sickbay Wards. A Stasis Unit was available to place patients temporarily into suspended animation for later treatment and a Decompression Chamber was available. In the event of a large-scale disaster or humanitarian crisis encountered by the Enterprise, Cargo Bays and Shuttlebays could be used as triage centers and even morgues.

Due to Sickbay's importance to the ship and crew, Sickbay was usually located deep within the structure of a starship for added protection. Sickbays were well-protected with Security personnel stationed nearby and include a Phaser locker for defense in the event the ship was boarded by a hostile force. Sickbay is also well stocked with a variety of medical equipment and supplies with most within easy access, but large quantities of backup medical supplies for disaster relief were stored in the Cargo Bays.

Primary Sickbay

Located within the Stardrive Module, the Primary Sickbay is the main medical complex aboard the Starship Enterprise. The Primary Sickbay is one of the best defended locations aboard the entire vessel and is constantly manned by members of the ship's medical team. Holographic projectors are built into the entire complex, allowing for complex treatment environments to be replicated and the usage of medical holograms.

Crescent shaped rooms, each Sickbay Ward is nearly identical to the other but they have varying responsibilities during routine operations. The largest component of each Sickbay Ward are the biobeds that line the curved bulkhead. Orthopedically designed, the biobeds aboard the Starship Enterprise have a series of specialized medical sensors installed beneath their mattress pad that are utilized to conduct a detailed analysis of a patient in an effort to diagnose any afflictions that are impacting the patient. The sensors connect to attached biofunction monitors and provide detailed reports on the patient's vital signs to the medical staff and can be set to transmit to handheld units, such as a Medical Tricorder or PADD, if needed.

For patients requiring more concentrated interventions, the medical team can engage the supplemental support frame to perform more intensive procedures on their patients. Also known as the 'clamshell,' the Surgical Support Frame features a variety of medical tools that can be used to treat patients beyond the basic functions available through the biobeds. Originally limited to only surgical biobeds, in the 2370s Starfleet Medical ordered that all biobeds be able to incorporate a Surgical Support Frame as a standard feature, and the Corps of Engineers devised a method to integrate the technology directly into each biobed. The Surgical Support Frame assists with diagnosis as it includes a series of supplemental sensors that are more sophisticated than the standard biofunction sensors built directly into the biobeds and are second only to the overhead diagnostic biofunction sensors in the surgical chamber. The clamshell has other benefits as well. The system is designed to create and maintain a sterile environment around the patient and is capable of performing some automated treatments on its own, such as the injection of medications and cardiovascular resuscitation procedures. The Surgical Support Frame has another advantage in that it can stimulate a patient's healing through a complex regenerative field, similar to those used by the anabolic protoplaser, that triggers the body's natural regenerative responses.

Enterprise Clinic Surgery While the Enterprise features dedicated surgical suites adjacent to Sickbay, a specialized surgical chamber has been included in each Sickbay Ward to perform surgeries in situations where there are no surgical suites available or there is no time to wait for a procedure to be initiated. The entire surgical chamber within a Sickbay Ward is designed to maximize the potential for the patient's survival and incorporates a complex sensor suite throughout the entire chamber. These sensors are the most advanced within the ward and gather a complex array of biofunction data at all times, even down to the subcellular level. The information is immediately relayed to the nearby computer terminal, allowing the medical team to plan a course of action for successful treatment. A specialized containment field is projected around the chamber the moment that a surgical procedure is needed, sterilizing both the patient and the medical staff of any hazardous bacteria or other microorganisms further risking the patient's health. Should the patient become belligerent or other threat be detected to the safety of the Enterprise's crew and passengers the containment field can be replaced by a general forcefield that will isolate the patient within the chamber.

Standard operating procedure aboard the Starship Enterprise is that four members of the medical team must be on duty within a Sickbay Ward at all times; however, those requirements may change depending upon which duty shift is active and patient load. Each ward has a dedicated computer terminal that is used by the medical staff to complete administrative functions and to monitor patients when direct treatment is unnecessary or not yet at the scheduled time. The workstation has priority linkages to the Starfleet Medical Database as well as the biofunction sensors of any patient that is currently within the ward. If necessary a staff person can access the sensor reports for patients located in other wards should if necessary; however, this is often considered unnecessary and impractical.

Enterprise ICU Office Each ward contains its own office for the on-duty doctor to use while not directly involved in treating a patient. Similarly appointed in each ward, each office featured a large desk that had a standard computer terminal and seating for two visitors for consultations. A wall mounted display gave a high-level overview of each patient's condition but could be used to directly monitor a specific patient as needed. As much of the doctor's time was spent within the office, the room was designed with comfort in mind and incorporates a replicator that can be used to produce food or drinks for the doctor in between patients. Typically, the office maintained two doors, one which went into the waiting area and the other proceeding into the ward itself.

Each Sickbay Ward was designed to be comforting to the patient and anyone waiting to learn about a patient's condition. Small waiting rooms, which were little more than converted hallways, were installed near the entryway that could be used by visitors to wait. Little space within Sickbay did not have a purpose though and most of the room featured storage compartments for equipment, medications, or other supplies needed for the treatment of a patient.

Sickbay Ward Information
Ward	Purpose	Notes	Layout
1	Clinic	Located on the starboard side of the Enterprise, Sickbay Ward 1 is used as a Clinic for patients receiving care aboard the vessel. The Clinic provides initial assessment for a person with an undiagnosed health concern and arranges for the continued care of health conditions over a period of time. Treatment within the Clinic is typically scheduled by the patient; however, there is allotment for rapid treatment if the illness or condition is not a life threatening emergency. The Clinic normally is used for basic diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses and medical conditions, which is accomplished through patient interview to learn about symptoms followed by a physical examination. The Clinic can order additional testing be performed aside from routine scans and, after gathering necessary data, formulates a plan of treatment for the patient. In this manner the Clinic helps to coordinate access for the patient to services and supports that can help them to heal and provides long-term management of chronic conditions to the patient.
2	Emergency Ward	The Emergency Ward is the Sickbay treatment facility that specializes in emergency medicine and is located on the port side of the vessel. The Emergency Ward is used for the acute care of patients and must provide initial treatment for a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, some of which may be life-threatening and require immediate attention. Common staffing requires a minimum of one on duty physician and at least two nurses at all times. The first stage of treatment in the Emergency Department is Triage and consists of a brief assessment of the patient to determine their needs. Normally conducted by a nurse at a biobed, Triage is conducted face-to-face when the patient arrives and then passed for treatment, with their waiting time determined by their needs, with more severe patients being treated sooner than patients with minor concerns. After being triaged the patient will see the doctor and receive a more thorough assessment and treatment. Medications to manage the patient's condition will also be administered. Depending on the results of the physician's assessment of the patient's chief complaint, they may be discharged to their quarters or admitted to Sickbay for further treatment.
3	Intensive Care Unit	The smallest of the three Sickbay Wards, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) provides care to critically ill patients that require intensive and specialized medical and nursing care, enhanced monitoring, and support to sustain life during a period of life-threatening organ system insufficiency. Patients may be referred directly from the Emergency Ward or following surgery if the patient is at high risk of complications. The Intensive Care Unit takes a person centered approach to treatment of the patient and looks at the impact of the condition on the various organ systems of the patient. The treatment plan is devised from monitoring, a process wherein the medical team uses various methods to obtain information about the patient's condition. Normally, diagnostic testing is noninvasive aboard Federation vessels and does not require puncturing of the patient's skin nor does it cause them pain. Because of the nature of the patient's condition and the risk to their survival, the Intensive Care Unit can employ invasive testing options to assess a patient's condition. Invasive diagnostics may provide the medical team with more thorough information, but may require puncturing the skin and can be painful or uncomfortable to the patient.

Secondary Sickbay

Located in the Chevron Section, the Secondary Sickbay is a supplementary medical complex used aboard the Starship Enterprise. Consisting of two nearly identical wards, associated support locations, and equipment, the Secondary Sickbay is primarily used when the Enterprise is operating in separated flight mode. Four members of the medical team must be on duty within each Sickbay Ward at all times; however, those requirements may change depending upon which duty shift is active and patient load, but the Secondary Sickbay is always open for patients.

Each Sickbay Ward is crescent shaped and are essentially mirror images of one another, but with varying responsibilities. Each Ward consists of four biobeds located in a generalized Treatment area. Orthopedically designed, the biobeds aboard the Starship Enterprise have a series of specialized medical sensors installed that conduct a detailed analysis of a patient. For patients requiring more concentrated interventions, the medical team can engage the supplemental support frame to perform more intensive procedures on their patients. Also known as the 'clamshell,' the Surgical Support Frame features a variety of medical tools to assist with diagnosis. The system can create and maintain a sterile environment around the patient and is capable of performing limited automated treatment.

A specialized surgical chamber has been included in each Sickbay Ward to perform surgeries in situations where there are no surgical suites available or there is no time to wait for a procedure to be initiated. Designed to maximize survivability, the surgical chamber features a complex sensor suite to gather biofunction data allowing the medical team to plan a course of treatment. A specialized containment field is projected around the chamber to protect both the patient and the medical staff of any hazardous bacteria or other microorganisms. The containment field can be replaced by a general forcefield that will isolate the patient within the chamber if necessary.

A Nurse's Station is located in the ward that is used by the medical staff to complete administrative functions and to monitor patients. Each ward also contains its own office for the on-duty doctor to use while they are not directly involved in a patient's treatment. Each office featured a large desk with a standard computer terminal and seating for two visitors. A wall mounted display gave a high-level overview of each patient's condition but could be used to directly monitor a specific patient as needed.

Medical Support

Aid Station

Located throughout the Starship Enterprise, Aid Stations are supplemental locations that offer medical assistance to personnel who's medical needs do not require visiting one of the vessel's larger Sickbay compounds. Aid Stations are spartan healthcare centers that are usually staffed by a single nurse or medic, but sometimes can be manned by the Enterprise's Emergency Medical Hologram if staff are unavailable to provide support due to operational need. Each Aid Station has its own dedicated life-support system and the location can be quarantined from the rest of the ship in an emergency situation to protect the crew from danger.

Aid Stations are designed to offer treatment for minor diseases or to perform simple surgeries that would not require more complex intervention or equipment. Often, Aid Stations would be setup to meet a specialized medical need, such as obstetrics, physical therapy, or other specialty. Each Aid Station aboard the Enterprise is outfitted with twin recovery biobeds and associated biofunction monitors that provide real-time information on a patient's vital signs to the medical staff. While Aid Stations do not equip surigical biobeds, medical sensor clusters have been installed into the bulkheads. Adjacent to the treatment area, each Aid Station includes a spartan research area that consists of an integrated computer terminal capable of completing limited medical investigation and includes priority uplinks to Starfleet Medical's databases.

Counseling Office

Counseling Offices are the primary workplaces of Counselors aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. Located on Deck 8, each Counselor aboard the Enterprise has been assigned their own personal office to use when seeing to the mental health of the starship's crew and visitors.

Decorated in neutral tones, each Counseling Office is outfitted with the same basic equipment and uniform layout. Offering seating for two guests, the dominant feature of the office is a large work desk for the Counselor. A desktop terminal has been assigned to each office to allow the Counselor the opportunity to maintain records or conduct research projects. Opposite the desk, a chair and large couch allow for informal discussion to take place in a more relaxed setting. A side alcove supports a food replicator and entry to a shared restroom while a window allows the Counselor an opportunity to look out into the space around the ship.

Each Counseling Office is decorated according to the individual tastes of the Counselor assigned to it. A shelf behind the desk often features personal items kept on display, most commonly books or personal knickknacks. Commonly a painting is hung above the couch as a conversation piece, often with the image depicting a body of water, landscape, or starship. Sometimes therapy animals are permitted inside the Counseling Offices, but aquariums are a common occurrence.

Decontamination Chamber

Located on Deck 08 the Decontamination Chamber (also known as Decon) was used for decontaminating crewmembers after exposure to the potentially dangerous environmental conditions, lifeforms, materials, airborne bodies, or other contaminants found in alien environments such as planets or spacecraft.

A common occurrence on early Starfleet vessels, Decon was believed to have become obsolete in the 23rd Century as Transporter biofilters and advanced shipboard ventilation systems helped to screen out threats to the crew of the vessel. Despite this, Starfleet Command began reinstituting Decon Chambers in the early 25th Century after a rise in conditions that could not be screened out. Utilizing a combination of ultraviolet radiation and various topical skin gels to achieve eliminate threats, the chamber offered very little privacy and would require users to disrobe and remain in the cramped chamber for extended periods. One of the smallest rooms on the Enterprise, Decon was not much larger than a turbolift and featured two benches and an observation window.

Examination/Recovery Room

Located near the Sickbay Complexes, the combination Exam/Recovery Rooms are used by the medical team aboard the Starship Enterprise to aid in the recovery of patients.

In their role as an Examination Room scheduled patients consult their physician, receive a medical examination, or receive a variety of noninvasive treatments and procedures. Treatments received in the exam room do not require the strict environmental controls of a Surgical Bay, but are more restrictive than the procedures available within Sickbay itself. In its role as a Recovery Room, patients with severe or life-threatening illnesses and injuries requiring constant care and close supervision to ensure normal bodily functions can be monitored by members of the medical team during their recovery.

Triangular in shape, the Exam/Recovery Room is designed to be as comfortable as possible for both patient and doctor. A focal point of the room was a large desk, with a built-in personal computer, and chairs for two guests to allow for private discussions between doctor and patient. A biobed was located in the corner near an exterior window, allowing for the near continuous monitoring of a patient's vital signs. Various books and assorted nicknacks were placed around the room to add to the comfort of patients unable to return to their quarters due to treatment requirements. The Exam/Recovery Room also features a small private bathroom for the patient's use.

Infirmary

Located adjacent to the Main Bridge and within the Security Complexes, the Infirmary has been established to provide emergency medical care when the patient cannot travel to Sickbay. The Infirmary is a spartan healthcare center that is usually staffed by a nurse or medic, yet maintains three biobeds for patients and incorporates the latest in biomedical sensor technology. Like the Sickbays, the Infirmary could be quarantined and isolated from the rest of the ship in an emergency with limited impact to the vessel's operations.

While the traditional Aid Station offers treatment options for minor diseases or simple surgeries, the Infirmary is capable of a more robust treatment acumen than its counterparts. The Infirmary further includes a small research terminal that allows for medical investigation and laboratory work to be completed without travel to the other Sickbay compounds aboard the vessel.

Medlab

Designed to support the small laboratories built into the Sickbay Compounds aboard the Enterprise, the Medlabs are specialized laboratories where medical research and experiments were performed. Similar in size to the primary Science Labs aboard the Enterprise, each Medlab also incorporated biobeds for patient recovery.

Each Medlab featured an open-plan layout and was filled with laboratory equipment used for medical experimentation. The primary component of the Medlab was the imaging chamber, which could be used to do full body scans and to perform various medical procedures. A patient using the chamber would lay flat on a small bed that extended out from the chamber and would slide into the unit while in operation. A large door would then seal, allowing for complex scans to be performed of the patient with information fed directly to the biofunction monitors mounted adjacent to the chamber. Among the treatments available included the ability to initiate antiproton therapy designed to counteract the genetic unspooling caused by acute radiation syndrome or to treat illnesses caused by decompression sickness, such as that suffered by crewmen exposed to explosive decompression and the vacuum of space. The Imaging Chamber also served as a bio-temporal chamber capable of exposing a patient to bio-temporal fields to treat related temporal illnesses.

A research station has been constructed into a curved wall that separates the Imaging Chamber from the rest of the Medlab. Allowing the analysis of any specimens taken from a patient or other biological samples, enhanced sensor systems built into the allow for the quick examination of samples. Medications and other supplies are stored directly behind the research station in a pharmacy area.

Morgue

Located adjacent to the Sickbays on Decks 8 and 12 aboard the Enterprise, the Morgue is used to store the remains of the recently deceased for the purposes of identification of the body, performing an autopsy, or completion of other postmortem activity.

A small room, the Morgue is a rectangular compartment that contains five specialized Morgue Units along the bulkheads. These units, which are designed to serve as a storage compartment for keeping dead bodies, incorporate stasis field generators to preserve the dead until autopsy, transport, or burial can be completed. A large control panel atop the unit is used to open the internal drawer, giving access to the remains and connection to shipboard sensors and technologies. In an emergency, the Morgue Units can be used to keep living beings in stasis, potentially masking their life signs from shipboard sensors, and helping to maintain the patient until the vessel could reach help.

Surgical Bay

Located adjacent to the Sickbay Complexes in the Primary and Secondary Hulls of the Starship Enterprise, the Surgical Bays are used to complete surgeries that were too complicated to conduct in Sickbay.

Outfitted with a variety of bio-support systems, the Surgical Bays are stocked with the latest in medical technologies known to Federation Science. Circular in shape with an attached anteroom, the primary focus of the Surgical Bay is the Surgical Biobed. The only Biobed in the area, this unit has been designed for surgical purposes and supports various hookups for surgical equipment. Specialized sensors built into the bed provide detailed information about the patient's status at all times and are supplemented by a large sensor cluster, similar to those in Sickbay, with the information fed to a nearby workstation. Sterilization fields are in place around the Biobed at all times to protect the patient from contamination.

Attached to the surgical chamber, a small anteroom contains monitoring workstations for the medical team of the Enterprise to use to keep track of the patient both during and following their surgery. To better assist recovery, laboratory space is available to allow for faster processing of samples obtained during the procedure.

Disclaimer

The Enterprise's Primary Sickbay began life as the Katra - Sickbay cutaway designed by Falke2009. No infringement intended.

The Enterprise's Secondary Sickbay began life as the USS Vanguard - Sickbay cutaway designed by Falke2009. No infringement intended.

The Enterprise's Aid Stations began life as the USS Lalo - Deck 03: Main Sickbay designed by Tadeo D'Oria. No infringement intended.

The Enterprise's Infirmary, Medlab, Morgue, and Surgical Bay are based upon locations created for various Star Trek television programs designed by Paramount Pictures. No infringement intended.

U.S.S. Enterprise Medical Section