To wrap up our inaugural healthcare themed November at officeinsight, we decided to round up the newest trends happening in healthcare design right now. We spoke to Jocelyn Stroupe, director of healthcare interiors at CannonDesign.
The number one thing Ms. Stroupe called attention to was an intense focus on seamlessness in each person’s healthcare experience.
“The patient experience is improving on multiple levels, from the first point of contact through to every engagement point after that,” said Ms. Stroupe. “One of the reasons it’s become so critical is because the new healthcare act, the Affordable Care Act, measures patient satisfaction. Hospitals get reimbursed based on those measures.”
Designers in the healthcare arena are taking their cues from both retail and healthcare spaces.
“Everything in healthcare is being based around convenience; each aspect of care is now happening in the same place. We’re engaging the retail space mentality and using retail models to create a one-stop experience.”
Waiting rooms are receiving a complete rejuvenation, as also referenced in our coverage of Steelcase’s research on the topic – read the OI article here.
“We’ve worked on projects where the space doesn’t even have a waiting room,” said Ms. Stroupe. “The concierge concept and tracker badge solutions are beginning to become more popular. Designers are employing tracker badges and other technologies like tablet check-ins to replace the traditional waiting room experience. It brings in more of a high-touch experience.”
Ms. Stroupe also noted an emphasis on creating diversity in new waiting spaces; designers must craft a collection of unique spaces where people who are waiting can accomplish different tasks throughout their wait.
“Being able to create spaces with multiple layers is critical. Whether a lounge, café, or hi-tech library-inspired space, we’re trying to provide choice for patients and their families, as well as waiting spaces for staff.”
Slightly second to the reimagined patient experience is a new spotlight on staff spaces.
“There’s a direct correlation between staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction,” noted Ms. Stroupe. “We’re seeing a lot more flexibility on the staff side. There are more spaces for staff to interact with each other, and those spaces are much more multi-disciplinary to accommodate team-based care, which is becoming a standard healthcare model.”
The inclusion of a “team” of professionals working on a patient’s behalf, including doctors, nutritionists, etc., means that their spaces need to accommodate a variety of functions which are being done at varying times of day – very similar to the collaborative way many in the corporate world work. Healthcare designers refer to these spaces as “onstage/offstage” environments.
Rather than a traditional medical staff room with a set of counters lining the walls, new staff spaces are filled with workstations you would see in a corporate environment, including height adjustable capabilities and hoteling concepts.
“When clinic hours are done, care providers need somewhere quieter for follow-ups and charting. These new features are being included so that more people can work properly in an ergonomic setting, and so that collaboration is also easier. This shift started happening two or three years ago, and it’s now becoming the norm.”
Designers are also building alternative wellbeing spaces into new and existing healthcare projects, including for staff. “Offstage” environments for staff have historically been overlooked. But, just as in the corporate workplace, healthcare facilities are now being used as recruiting tools – as a way of retaining talent. Designers and their health organization clients are devoting more square footage to spaces that give staff the opportunity to reset, and even socialize.
Ms. Stroupe noted recent projects in the Chicago and Cleveland areas where the design strategy included integrating outdoor spaces into the floor plan. In the Chicago project, the design team placed balconies on every in-patient floor of the building. Despite pushback from the client regarding weather, safety and usage concerns, the balconies are used frequently year-round and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
In Cleveland, a medical facility included “winter garden” spaces – glass enclosed interior gardens specifically designated as respite areas for staff.
“The recognition of the value of these spaces has gained real traction in the industry,” said Ms. Stroupe.
With regard to sustainability, Ms. Stroupe notes a steady progression in the right direction, both in building certification goals and in product development. Healthcare environments present significant challenges to furniture and textile manufacturers – cleanability alone is enough to cut options to a spare few – and designers working in this market must also have an understanding of those challenges.
“This area has improved very rapidly, particularly in the last five years, in performance and aesthetic. Companies that produce healthcare solutions are using new technology to create superior new products and also improve existing products, making them more sustainable than earlier versions.”
The healthcare industry has experienced huge change in the past few years, and there’s a good chance of another shake-up now that the latest U.S. elections have concluded. As our healthcare industry’s goals shift, so too must the spaces that support them. Designers have an important place at the table in shaping the healthcare experience for Americans; in this effort, being able to roll with the punches is non-negotiable.