Take 5 With Journey’s David Taglione

David Taglione (Headshot: Journey)
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.
David Taglione is the managing director at Journey (New York), a global design and innovation studio specializing in multidimensional experiences.
Here, he shares his thoughts on the evolution of healthcare design and the future emphasis on multidimensional experiences that merge physical, digital, and virtual touchpoints for holistic patient well-being.
1. Multidimensional design for outpatient facilities
The next generation of healthcare facilities will upend the current design flow that shuffles the patient from the waiting room to the clinic and out the door.
Instead, employing a multidimensional design approach that connects physical, digital, and virtual touchpoints throughout the building will maximize the full potential of the building—moving away from a place where patients spend countless hours waiting to one where they have the freedom to roam and experience a full range of services.
It will be critical for hospitals to configure their buildings to match the demands of the modern patient, catering to not just their clinical needs but also desires for relaxation lounges, quiet spaces, and community rooms.
2. Bringing hospitality to the hospital
Healthcare facilities of the future will be amenity-rich spaces that allow patients the ability to utilize the entire hospital building, similar to a hotel guest who has access to all the building has to offer.
Designing spaces such as stress-reduction zones, rest pods, learning labs, and other amenities acknowledges healing as more than a clinical process and accounts for the full patient spectrum from physical to mental and emotional well-being.
Healthcare design is shifting from a traditional point-A-to-B model to an ecosystem that accounts for the totality of the patient experience.
3. Wearable and integrated technology
Health wearables, which connect with patients’ smartphones and electronic health records for comprehensive information sharing, are becoming a crucial part of the landscape. Globally, clinicians expect 45 percent of patients to be using tools such as health wearables within five years.
This “wear-and-share” ecosystem empowers medical professionals with unprecedented insights, enabling proactive treatment adjustments and potentially reducing unnecessary hospital visits.
One area we can see this transformation is with biometric technology seamlessly integrating into health management systems, eliminating the need for clinical teams to manually enter patient findings during consultations.
This type of technological shift has the potential to completely change how we plan healthcare’s physical landscape. Imagine a satellite screening pod that uploads patient data directly to clinical teams, with artificial intelligence (AI) instantly analyzing information and flagging potential concerns for medical professionals.
Such innovations could streamline information gathering, reduce unnecessary visits, and render traditional spaces like blood draw rooms obsolete, ultimately making healthcare more efficient and patient centric.
4. Hyper-personalization via AI
Intelligent tools can now seamlessly integrate medical recommendations into caregiver workflows, generate personalized post-appointment reminders, and develop innovative strategies to improve medication adherence. In the future, the patient experience will also be radically reimagined through customizable digital environments.
Imagine hospital rooms that adapt in real-time with personalized greetings, mood-responsive digital art, and ambient settings tailored to individual preferences for music and lighting.
Operationally, AI will provide healthcare facility managers with unprecedented optimization capabilities. Real-time analytics will enable dynamic management of spaces, such as intelligent waiting room scheduling and instant exam room availability tracking, allowing healthcare centers to become more dynamic.
5. Healthcare on the go
Whether it’s Amazon’s subscription-based primary care model or telehealth appointments with a specialist, more healthcare is moving from controlled facility environments to patient-managed settings.
This shift requires the healthcare industry to reimagine how healthcare brands integrate into our personal spaces. Moreover, this transformation unlocks new design opportunities such as satellite microclinics strategically placed in high-traffic areas like airports.
By strategically positioning these nimble healthcare touchpoints, healthcare facilities can intersect with patients’ daily rhythms, making medical services as accessible and fluid as any modern consumer experience.
Want to share your Top 5? Contact Managing Editor Tracey Walker at [email protected] for submission instructions.