Design of Hospital Facilities Plays Role in Patient Health

More research shows the design of hospital facilities plays role in patient health outcomes. Hospital design is now a much more inclusive process and incorporates the input from several teams of people including doctors and nurses who care for patients on a daily basis. Over 1500 studies show that proper design has overwhelming health benefits for patients and staff. Patient stress is reduced, medical errors are reduced, and cancer treatment and recovery rates improve. This kind of overwhelming evidence that the proper design of hospital facilities plays role in overall patient health has hospital administrators rethinking the way they want their hospitals to look and feel.

We are all familiar with the double occupancy rooms that separate patients with only a flimsy curtain. These types of rooms that are the norm are now being phased and single patient rooms with more privacy are being phased in. Other design alterations include larger windows to let in natural light, incorporated nature scenes that have been shown to reduce pain, as well as sinks right inside the door so that nurses and doctors can wash their hands. All of these alterations are being implemented because of evidence that shows health benefits increase because the design of hospital facilities plays role in improved patient health.

Insurers who pays the bills are concerned that these new facilities do nothing more than make the building more attractive, but it is hard to deny studies such as the one coming out of a hospital in Michigan showed that noise using noise reducing materials and improved airflow improved cancer treatment and infections by 11%.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.