Insights & Solutions

While discussion of facility design and healthcare reform often focuses on the patient experience of noise and cleanliness as measured by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, design is also a factor in reform-based outcome targets.  

Healthcare reform has continually focused on several aspects of the patient experience. The patient experience domain (as measured through HCAHPS — the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) includes three metrics that are used to evaluate patient perceptions about communication: doctor-patient, nurse-patient, and communication surrounding medications.

HCAHPS scores related to noise in the hospital environment are typically among the lowest. Acoustic intervention packages implemented by healthcare organizations are often a combination of built environment and operational measures.  

Hand hygiene is the single most important component of healthcare-associated infection prevention. The physical environment plays a key role in promoting hand hygiene. Effective hand hygiene strategies integrate environmental, personal, and organizational/operational elements.