Insights & Solutions

The goal for this project was to create a world-class facility using evidence-based design (EBD), LEED, and patient- and family–centered strategies. The re-design of the Ft. Bliss Army Medical Center not only took into account the Military Health System (MHS) World-Class Checklist, but also information gathered from 14 EBD working groups to further influence the design. 

The goal for this project was to evaluate the impact of single bedrooms in the UK health economy, reduction of infection, improvement in patient recovery time and wellbeing from impact of nature views, natural ventilation, and reduced staff travel time. Pembury is the first Pebble Project in the UK, and the first NHS hospital, with 100% single bed wards. Affordable patient safety was the core guiding principle.

The goal for this project involved the renovation of the existing Adler Building with a new entry addition to create an identifiable and convenient birthing center with all services in one building. Team members used the EBD Checklist Tool to identify more than 20 design goals. 

The goal for this project was to establish four guiding principles: Design for adaptability to enable flexibility of use over time; Incorporate safety initiatives identified in available research; Create standardization of processes, supplies and design to develop a safer environment and increase the value of the facility; Develop archetypes or prototypes for all components including design elements, patient rooms and overall units.

Behavioral health settings guided by strict safety design measures often result in spaces that are stark, plain, and isolated - potentially exacerbating environmental stressors and escalating already difficult patient situations. Acute care emergency settings have a particular set of challenges as EDs are predicting increased visits from behavioral health patients. Faced with the challenge of designing a behavioral health care setting in the Emergency Department at UnityPoint Health in Rock Island, IL, the project team hypothesized that the creation of a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) with a “Living Room Concept” would provide a higher quality of care to patients while assisting in the staff’s ability to quickly consult and treat a diverse set of patients entering the ED. 

Developed through extensive review of research, surveys, site tests, and review and validation by expert advisory council members, this standard set of evidence-based design checklists and post-occupancy evaluation (POE) tools can be used by interior designers to apply research to healthcare design projects and to conduct post-occupancy evaluations of three types of hospital patient rooms: adult medical-surgical, adult intensive care, and maternity care.

Life in most healthcare organizations passes at a rapid pace. Sounds familiar, right? And in the frenzy of the moment, you probably find that opportunities for your staff to communicate with one another are often overlooked. Yet such internal communication is essential for efficiency, safety, and consistency in patient care. So how do you find that balance without tipping the scale?