More research is always needed…
Same-handed or back-to-back patient rooms? Inboard or outboard toilet rooms? Sink locations, throughout, noise, and infection prevention…so many issues, so little time to solve them all. For decades, the healthcare design industry has been seeking innovative design and construction solutions to help improve outcomes for patients, caregivers and families in healthcare facilities. These topics, and many others, have been hotly debated and have also been the topics of research, discussion, and publication in the healthcare design industry. A recent article in Medical Construction and Design magazine attempted to tackle yet another one of these topics, the decentralized versus centralized nurse station. According to the author, Charles Linn, recent “studies have revealed mixed outcomes of the decentralized nursing unit design. Some showed reduced walking distance and increased patient encounters while others didn’t.”
The current study, conducted by Professors Hui Cai, Kent Spreckelmeyer and Frank Zilm, FAIA, faculty in the Institute for Health and Wellness Design at the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design, raised some concerns about patient satisfaction, as it relates to the design of inpatient units, and the communication among nursing teams in these facilities. This multi-phase and multi-year study is using the evidence-based design checklist from the Center for Health Design, as well as heat maps, space syntax and other methods for examining the effectiveness of these two types of solutions. A link to the full article can be found here. We all look forward to this compelling research report to learn from and share with clients.
Bottom line, more study is necessary on this and many other design issues. As a wise mentor once told me; “As architects, we are taught to solve yesterday’s problems.” Perhaps this is our time to begin thinking about solving for tomorrow’s challenges, TODAY.
Sincerely,
Kimberly N. Montague, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP
Communications Committee Chair – AIA Academy of Architecture for Health