Although recent Ebola cases have garnered the national spotlight, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) claim the lives of 99,000 Americans every year. Not only is the human toll of HAIs staggering, the cost of treating them in the U.S. is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be upwards of $20 billion—one of the reasons why hospitals are facing reductions in Medicare payments if they don’t reduce HAIs by 2015.
NICUs are currently one of the most discussed topics in the world of evidence-based design. As part of the Spencer de Mille Traveling Fellowship through the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Northern Pacific Chapter Knowledge Advancement Fund, I have the opportunity to participate in this exciting field of study.
Over dinner recently, a colleague who’s the CEO of a health system that just completed a hospital replacement project said something that made me think about our responsibilities as architects. “You [architects] are so good at describing architectural ideas and concepts, and it’s all cool stuff. And as the owner, I want that cool stuff. But you sometimes have a way of making that cool stuff sound like it’s free—but it’s not,” he said.
His statement, while anecdotal and somewhat humorous, has stuck with me ever since.
Building Information Modeling continues to grow in popularity in architecture, engineering, and construction industries as healthcare projects continue to grow in size and complexity. Here are some reasons to consider BIM for your next project.
In a recent conversation with Jason Schroer, director of the Houston office of HKS, he posed an interesting question that made me think deeply about research in healthcare design and, in particular, evidence-based design. He drew a parallel between our field and the popular Animal Planet show Finding Bigfoot.
In the first installment of this series, I discussed some of the unique attributes of Millennials that are shaping the way we design healthcare environments. Let’s now consider the role this generation plays as patients.
While its first brick building was erected in 1902, St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, Ore., had numerous additions tacked on over the decades. These extensions—circa 1922, 1962, and 1982—created a labyrinthine floor plan as well as many operational challenges, not to mention that its infrastructure and building systems were deteriorating.
Art is freedom.
This was one of many messages graffiti artist Erik Wahl's delivered at the Healthcare Design Conference on Nov. 16 in San Diego. He was the opening plenary and performed much of his show by painting and interacting with the audience.
He challenged the audience to think outside the box when it comes to designing solutions for patients.
"We need to come up with new and different ideas that your valued patients didn't even know you needed," Wahl said. "Go on the offensive and brand your company as a category of one."
In the past, we’ve learned about hospital design in China from the surface only. It’s been perceived that design decisions are made based on social, cultural, and economic drivers—or, simply, based on how it’s always been done. In actuality, the reasons for design decisions are deeper. Hospital design in China is logical and pragmatic, and often based on passive green design.
For example, a few characteristics of such Chinese design approaches that you might be familiar with include:
