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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

How Applying a Human Factors Ergonomics Approach Helps Optimize the Design, Function, and Safety of Units at Yale New Haven Health System
April 2019 ∘ Interview ∘
You apply a Human Factors Ergonomics (HFE) approach for Yale New Haven Health System. Can you explain more about your role in this area and how it relates to the design process?
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Interview

The Need to Incorporate Continuous Improvement Into Healthcare Design Plans
April 2019 ∘ Interview ∘
How did you become interested in continuous improvement and Lean, and what do those terms really mean?

I’m an architect who has always specialized in healthcare facilities. I was trained to define the problem I was designing for and to find the solution. But I often find that by the time I have the perfect solution, it’s for yesterday’s problem.
Interview

The Importance of Safety, Comfort, and Design in Behavioral Health Furniture, an interview with Suzanne Fawley
October 2018 ∘ Interview ∘
Learn about how the need for behavioral health furniture to encompass not only safety, but also comfort and beauty, why there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to behavioral health design, and how lessons learned from the hospitality field can inform designers working on behavioral health projects.
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

Understanding the Unique Design Needs of Behavioral Health Facilities, an interview with James Hunt, AIA, NCARB
February 2018 ∘ Interview ∘
Inside you will learn about: why behavioral health facilities have very different design requirements than general hospitals; how different areas of a behavioral health unit have different safety needs that influence design choices; and which types of safety measures and products should be incorporated into behavioral health units.
Interview

Using the Design Process to Create Safe and Comfortable Behavioral Health Environments, an interview with Francis Murdock Pitts
February 2018 ∘ Interview ∘
Inside you will learn about: why relationships are at the heart of successful psychiatric treatment strategies; how effective designs can facilitate positive interactions between clinicians and patients; and the benefits of using a community treatment model that allows patients to access services in carefully designed “neighborhood treatment malls.”
Interview

Exploring the Relationship Between the Built Environment and Behavioral Health, an interview with Mardelle McCuskey Shepley, M.Arch, D.Arch, EDAC
February 2018 ∘ Interview ∘

Inside you will learn about: the challenges in identifying best practices in the built environment for behavioral healthcare; where architects and designers can start when working on projects for behavioral health facilities; and the differences between behavioral health and medical settings.
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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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Interview

How Strategic Design Choices Are Improving Emergency Department Throughput, an interview with Joanne McDonough, MD, PhD
August 2017 ∘ Interview ∘
Learn about: Ellis Medicine’s struggle to service a higher ED volume after two local hospitals closed their doors; why the new ED was initially unable to meet the high patient demand; and how a transitional unit, a split-flow model, and other strategic design choices ultimately helped improve ED throughput.
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Interview

Exploring Emergency Department Trends and Best Practices to Improve Throughput, an interview with James Augustine, MD, FACEP
April 2017 ∘ Interview ∘
Learn about: how the aging of the population contributes to overcrowding in EDs today, why some hospitals are creating ED areas specifically for seniors, with enhanced lighting, non-slip flooring, and other safety features, the need for Clinical Decision Units to provide a place for emergency patients who require a longer stay in order to free up space in the ED, and the challenges that behavioral health and chemical dependency patients pose to EDs, and how best to address these issues.