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Insights & Solutions

Get the latest trends, tools, and resources for improving healthcare environments here. Browse our many free and members-only resources, including research reports and issue briefs, interviews, case studies, design strategies, lessons learned, key point summaries, and webinars.

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Interview

The Design of a Psychiatric Clinic in Borås Sweden Strives to Create a "Healing" Environment, an interview with Stefan Lundin and Cristiana Caira
February 2018 ∘ Interview

Learn about how the design of a new psychiatric facility strives to normalize mental illness through carefully chosen materials with the goal of creating a “homey,” non-institutional setting, why private patient rooms will be included in the new final building as an important part of the design concept, and how research helped shape the architects’ beliefs that the built environment should support patients’ dignity and independence as part of the recovery process.
Interview

Building Smaller Spaces Can Have Large Effects on Resident Satisfaction, an interview with Mitchell S. Elliott, AIA
October 2017 ∘ Interview

Learn about: How to think big when building small; how a smaller environment can benefit residents and caregivers; and SAGE and its mission to unite industry leaders, healthcare providers, and consultants.
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Project Brief

Maximize Space, Manage Volume, & Improve Communication in the Emergency Department

April 2017 ∘ Project Brief

Learn about: methods to minimize patient wait times and maximize use of hospital space, guiding principles implemented in a Seattle children’s hospital to improve patient and provider communication, and how architects, healthcare providers, and families can collaborate to design a patient-centered emergency department.
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Project Brief

Chair-Centric Waiting Area Addresses Emergency Department Throughput Challenges
April 2017 ∘ Project Brief

Learn about: evidence-based design solutions to address throughput challenges in today’s overcrowded emergency departments, the importance of aligning research design with organizational operations and processes for successful research, and the advantages of basing research methods on previous studies. 
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Project Brief

Urban Pediatric Hospital ED Takes a Unique Approach to Meet Patient Needs
April 2017 ∘ Project Brief

Learn about: unique ways that a pediatric replacement hospital leverages its small urban footprint to meet the high demand for ED services, why locating the emergency department on the second floor was the most efficient way to use limited space, and how a three-pod design enables the ED to flex at different times of day for varying levels of demand.
Project Brief

How the Physical Environment in a Special Care Unit Impacts Dementia Patients’ Quality of Life

February 2017 ∘ Project Brief

Learn about: how the physical setting of a special care unit for dementia patients can affect their behavior in both positive and negative ways, design features that may help engage residents and foster socialization, and strategic choices of flooring surfaces, flooring transitions, and wayfinding that can help create a safer environment.
Interview

How Strategic Design Choices Can Address the Impact of Aging While Meeting the Needs of All Generations, an interview with Maggie Calkins, PhD
February 2017 ∘ Interview

Learn about: why the needs of older people are often overlooked, how universal design can support people as they age, how universal design also benefits people of varying abilities and generations, and the need for designers to think about functionality in new and existing spaces.
Project Brief

State-of-the-Art Medical Center Provides Senior Services Designed to Accommodate an Aging Population
February 2017 ∘ Project Brief

Learn about: How UMCPP accommodates the unique needs of senior citizens through a special ED unit, design features that were included to help older patients and their families better navigate the space, and the hospital’s acute care for the elderly (ACE) unit, and why it is configured to transition senior ED patients for an inpatient stay in the most supportive environment.
Tool

Universal Design Strategies: Impact of Aging Considerations Checklist
November 2016 ∘ Tool

This tool is meant to support a universal design approach to environments for aging populations. 
Issue Brief

Universal Design: Designing for Human Needs
November 2016 ∘ Issue Brief

As part of the impact of aging toolbox, in this issue brief you will learn about the current state of aging and associated health conditions, the alignment between universal design and sustainable design strategies inspired by environments for aging, and universal design models that enable flexible and adaptable spaces to support aging needs and human needs.