Evaluation of a Mental and Behavioral Health Patient Room Mockup at a Veterans Administration Facility
Health Environments Research & Design Journal
https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586719856349
ARTICLE
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Objective: The primary goal of this research was to evaluate a physical full-scale, high-fidelity mockup of a mental and behavioral health (MBH) inpatient room and bathroom.
Background: There is minimal research on design for MBH and no published research using mockups to evaluate a MBH design proposal. To address this gap, an interdisciplinary team developed an ideal Patient-Centered MBH Patient Room, which was built as a mockup at a Veterans Administration (VA) facility and evaluated by patients and staff in situ.
Method: The mock-up was evaluated using a structured mixed methods process that incorporates feedback using Feedback Forms and facilitated Listening Sessions. Our two primary hypotheses were that the design, as represented by the mock-up, would be positively evaluated and that there would be a difference between staff and patient perceptions, with patients rating the design higher than staff.
Results: Quantitative analysis confirmed our hypotheses, revealing an overall positive response, with a difference between patients and staff. Contrary to hypothesis, staff consistently rated the design higher than patients. Qualitative analysis found mixed reception of the design and three primary themes: safety, homeyness/deinstitutionalization, and positive distraction/nature.
Conclusions: Physical mock-ups may be an effective tool for evaluation of a proposed design; however, staff perceptions of the environment may differ from those of patients. One drawback of using a physical high-fidelity mock-up is the expectation that the mock-up perfectly represents the proposed design. With this project, even small unfinished details were distracting to the participants and may have negatively affected the evaluation.
Kati Peditto, PhD, EDAC, Postdoctoral Associate, Cornell University | Dept. of Design & Environmental Analysis
Kati Peditto is a postdoctoral associate in the department of Design and Environmental Analysis. Kati received a Ph.D. in human behavior and design from Cornell University in 2019. She previously received a B.A. in psychology from St Mary's College of Maryland, where she completed a capstone thesis on infusion pump keypad design. Her previous experience investigating alarm fatigue at Johns Hopkins Hospital sparked her interest in design research in healthcare settings.
At Cornell, her research aims to improve health facilities from vulnerable populations, including adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer. After leading a run from San Francisco to Baltimore in summer 2016 with the Ulman Cancer Fund, Kati noticed that AYA patients were often treated in pediatric settings with little access to peer support. Her research investigates the influence of the built environment on social support and quality of life for young people with cancer. This research study won Kati the 2018 New Investigator Award offered by The Center for Health Design’s Research Coalition.
Brian Giebink, AIA, LEED AP, Project Architect, HDR
Brian is a behavioral health planner and architect with the leading healthcare design firm, HDR. He has a deep understanding of current research and trends in behavioral health design and uses his expertise to create innovative, research-based solutions that improve the patient experience in mental health environments. Brian has served as the behavioral health expert on numerous projects around the world, holding roles in planning, design, and consulting for inpatient, outpatient, community, and educational facilities, guiding project teams towards improved outcomes.
At HDR, Brian leads the behavioral health design studio, introducing current trends and design strategies to a broader HDR team and works with smaller focus groups to discuss and develop strategies to improve the mental healthcare environment for patients and staff. Brian has presented on the topic of mental health at multiple conferences around the country, including the Healthcare Design Conference and the Institute for Patient-Centered Design Innovation Summit where he presented his team’s award winning behavioral health patient room design. In addition to building design, Brian works with manufacturers to design and evaluate furniture and accessories for behavioral health environments, focusing on improved safety, comfort, functionality, and aesthetics. He was also recently selected to participate in the FGI 2022 Health Guidelines Revision Committee focusing on behavioral health design in the emergency department.
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