Behavioral and mental health (BMH) conditions affect one of five adults in the U.S. each year, and are even more common among patients receiving care for medical conditions. Up to 45% of patients admitted to the hospital for a medical condition or presenting to the emergency department with a minor injury also have a concurrent BMH condition. These BMH comorbidities increase the risk of psychological harm associated with care. Providing these patients with a healing, therapeutic environment should be an important goal for health design. Design interventions aimed at improving the psychological well-being of patients with BMH comorbidities may be more cost-effective than they initially appear, because they can be leveraged to support improved well-being for other populations as well, including other patients, staff, and visitors.
The goals were to: improve operational efficiency via flow and collaboration between the two existing levels; facilitate team-based care; improve patient safety and satisfaction; and improve wayfinding.
Learn about: the personal abilities and unique challenges faced by aging individuals, including those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, how thoughtful design can reduce stress associated with declining physical abilities, memory loss, and care provision.
Sachs, N., Shepley, M., Peditto, K., Hankinson, M.T., Giebink, B., Thompson, T. (2019). Health Environments Research & Design Journal. DOI: 10.1177/1937586719856349
