Rhonda Wyskiel

Rhonda Wyskiel (Headshot credit: Anne Chan/HCM)

In this series, Healthcare Design asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to tell us what’s got their attention and share some ideas on the subject.

Rhonda Wyskiel is a nurse and principal at Hord Coplan Macht (Baltimore).

Here, she shares her thoughts on using artificial intelligence (AI) to address healthcare staffing shortages, using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to support medical training, and repurposing parking lots into green spaces.

  1. Role of AI in addressing healthcare staffing shortages

Driven by the high costs of labor—which makes it increasingly difficult for hospitals to afford the continuous cycle of hiring, training, and losing nurses—more healthcare facilities are considering AI to address staffing needs and enhance care delivery.

In the future, healthcare will move from the traditional nurse and tech model to a care team model with more presence of automated technology such as robots to deliver medications and AI-enabled devices to assist with patient care.

Specifically, healthcare environments will need to accommodate new technologies, such as AI-driven monitoring systems, enhanced wiring and connectivity, smart rooms with automated controls, and spaces for robots to operate, charge, and undergo maintenance. This shift could also reduce the need for traditional nurses’ stations and instead focus on creating centralized hubs where care teams can interact with both AI systems and patients.

  1. Using AR and VR to bridge medical training gap

AR and VR hold great potential for medical students’ training and simulation of procedures, especially in rural healthcare settings. Many providers in these areas may lack access to the advanced simulation labs available at urban academic medical centers. AR and VR could bridge this gap, allowing providers to learn and practice procedures that can be directly applied in their care settings.

As such, traditional simulation labs, which require large physical spaces and expensive equipment, may become less of a priority as immersive technologies offer scalable training solutions, freeing up space for other uses while still maintaining high-quality training environments. Smaller, adaptable training rooms can be easily outfitted with VR headsets and AR equipment and should include strong network capabilities, adequate lighting, and room for movement.

  1. Trading parking space for more green space on healthcare campuses

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) could significantly transform non-emergency medical transport by providing reliable and efficient services that can help get patients to appointments, deliver medications to patients in remote areas, or transport life-saving medical supplies to hospitals. This service could reduce demand for parking and provide healthcare facilities an opportunity to repurpose these spaces into therapeutic environments, such as green spaces, walking paths, or outdoor therapy zones.

These green spaces can be used for physical rehabilitation, meditation, or simply a place for patients and their families to rest and relax, which has been shown to support healing and recovery. Additionally, hospitals could reduce their carbon footprint by implementing more sustainable landscaping practices, such as the use of native plants that require less water and care. This also complements efforts to combat urban heat island effects in cities, where large, paved areas can trap heat.

  1. Designing for rise in telehealth and remote monitoring capabilities

A 2023 study published in BMJ Oncology reported that new cancer cases among people younger than age 50 increased by 79.1 percent from 1990-2019, highlighting a concerning trend of increasing cancer diagnoses in younger populations. As the recommended age for certain screenings lowers, continuous remote monitoring using wearable devices and home-based sensors will allow for real-time health tracking, early detection, and timely interventions.

With the shift toward more virtual care and remote monitoring, the demand for physical space within hospitals and digital health infrastructure will rise. This includes the creation of telehealth hubs within medical centers that are fully equipped for virtual consultations, video conference rooms, and high-tech monitoring spaces.

Collaboration with information technology and facilities management is critical in ensuring that network capabilities and cybersecurity measures are robust enough to support a larger telehealth system. The project team must work closely with these departments to ensure the facility is both future proofed for telehealth advancements and compliant with healthcare regulations around digital privacy and telemedicine.

  1. Bridging the gap between design teams and clinical staff

Well-designed spaces play a critical role in patient outcomes and staff satisfaction. There can often be a disconnect between design teams and clinicians, and it is important to bridge that gap to enhance the overall healthcare experience for everyone involved. Common challenges teams encounter include balancing differing priorities, ensuring aspirations align with practical implementation, and conveying technical details.

To overcome these challenges, clear communication, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to the project’s goals are crucial. Involving facilities managers and clinicians from the beginning of a project can ensure their operational knowledge is integrated early into the design. Detailed information on current operational workflows, space utilization data, patient demographics, and growth projections are a few examples of what is critical to know from the outset.

Want to share your Top 5? Contact Managing Editor Tracey Walker at [email protected] for submission instructions.