Denise Ready, NIHD
Joe Don Cavender, NIHD (Photo by Jesse Leos)
Sandra Bradley, NIHD
In this series, Healthcare Design asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to tell us what trends, topics, or best practices have their attention and why.
Here, Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design (NIHD) members Denise Ready, operations planner at VOC Associates, LLC (Cleveland); Joe Don Cavender, senior vice president of clinical design and transition planning at Children’s Health System of Texas, Children’s Medical Center Dallas (Dallas); and Sandra Bradley, clinical operations planner at Guidon Design (Indianapolis) share their thoughts on sensory-rich environments, future-proofed design, and tech-forward strategies to enhance support for patients and staff.
1. Human-centered design in healthcare
While human-centered design is not a new concept in healthcare, it’s taken on renewed urgency as facilities respond to workforce burnout, rising behavioral health needs, and increased competition for patients in outpatient and ambulatory settings. Today’s healthcare environments must support emotional well-being, comfort, and safety, not only for patients but also for families and staff navigating complex care journeys.
Designers are prioritizing furniture, lighting, flooring, and other materials that evoke a sense of calm, reduce stress, and support occupant needs. The result is spaces that feature warmer lighting, improved acoustics, durable flooring, and more residential features that help patients, families, and staff feel cared for and supported.
2. Biophilic and sensory-rich healing environments
Biophilic design in healthcare is evolving beyond symbolic gestures into more immersive, sensory-rich experiences. Designers are integrating daylight, views to nature, calming color palettes, acoustics, textures, and materiality to create environments that support emotional regulation and reduce stress.
Research consistently shows that access to nature and natural patterns can improve patient outcomes, reduce length of stay, and positively influence staff satisfaction and retention. These benefits extend beyond aesthetics, supporting both clinical performance and operational efficiency.
By thoughtfully layering sensory cues throughout patient, family, and staff spaces, healthcare facilities can foster environments that feel restorative, intuitive, and supportive of healing.
3. Future-ready care spaces
Today’s facilities must accommodate rapidly changing care models, including hybrid care delivery, outpatient growth, and evolving clinical protocols. Flexibility is no longer optional but foundational. Designers are responding with adaptable room layouts, modular infrastructure, and material systems that allow spaces to shift function throughout the day without compromising safety or comfort.
Considerations such as acoustic control, infection prevention, ease of maintenance, and durability all play a role in supporting multiuse environments. When spaces are designed to evolve, rather than be rebuilt, facilities can respond more quickly to patient needs, support staff workflows, and extend the life cycle of their buildings.
4. Caregiver well-being as a design imperative
Increased clinician burnout, staffing shortages, and retention challenges have elevated caregiver well-being from a nice-to-have to a design imperative. Healthcare organizations are recognizing that physical environments directly influence staff resilience, focus, and job satisfaction.
Incorporating respite spaces, access to daylight, outdoor staff areas, and quiet zones away from clinical noise allows caregivers to decompress and reset in between demanding shifts. Thoughtful attention to acoustics, ergonomics, and comfort helps reduce cognitive and physical strain.
When caregivers feel supported by their environment, morale improves, safety increases, and organizations are better positioned to retain experienced staff and deliver consistent patient care.
5. Technology and safety integration
Healthcare facilities are adopting smart technology to help provide better care and support more positive patient experiences. Advancements such as electronic check-in screenings can help streamline operations, enhance safety, and improve daily efficiencies.
However, there’s a fine line for designers to consider. While these tech-forward advancements address certain aspects of healthcare facilities, humanizing innovation is a crucial factor for both staff and patient experiences.
Striking the right balance means integrating technology in ways that are intuitive, discreet, and supportive. By embedding systems like wayfinding and touchless technology into workflows and environments, safety and efficiency are enhanced without overwhelming patients or caregivers. Patients are protected, staff can work smarter, and design is not compromised.
Want to share your Top 5? Contact Senior Editor Robert McCune at [email protected] for submission instructions.
