Evidence-based design is a trend that is picking up steam in the healthcare industry for a wide variety of different reasons. In many industries, design based on aesthetics, common sense, personal preference or even intuition is more than adequate when creating a particular space. In the healthcare industry, however, the stakes are significantly higher. A medical facility needs to not only be designed to be as functional as possible, but also to enhance the satisfaction of staff and ultimately the health and well being of the patients themselves. When executed properly, evidence-based design not only helps to increase productivity and patient healing, but it can also increase safety and even reduce stress for everyone involved.
What is evidence-based design?
Evidence-based design, is a concept that borrows ideas from general architecture, behavioral economics, environmental psychology and more. In essence, it is designed to use credible evidence to help influence both the interior and exterior design of a building.
The most important element of evidence-based design is that architectural decisions are being made using the best available information at the time. This data is collected from research, evaluations of existing projects, information obtained from clients and more. If a new study showed concrete evidence that patients that had a view of a beautiful wooded area had faster and more efficient recoveries after surgery than those who had a view of a brick wall, that type of information would be implemented in the architectural process.
The Benefits of evidence-based design?
One of the major benefits of evidence-based design comes from the idea that it is able to take one environment and use it for two distinct goals. Not only does a building need to be a proper working environment for staff, but it also needs to be a healing environment for patients and their loved ones.
Evidence-based design can help create higher quality stays in patients through the use of certain elements like plants, water, wildlife and more. Pleasant music, sources of entertainment and other elements can also create positive distractions that can help with the overall healing process. New technology can be implemented to improve quality of care and overall facility safety. The structure itself can be designed with cost effectiveness in mind, which ultimately makes for much cheaper care in a much more powerful way. These benefits all go a long way towards explaining the practice’s growth in popularity and effectiveness in recent years.
Healthcare Facilities Solutions Inc
Healthcare Facilities Solutions (HFS) specializes in bringing all of the principles of evidence-based design to medical and dental offices, medical office buildings, hospitals and other types of healthcare facilities around the country. The company’s team of professionals begins the process with a list of the problems that a client is trying to address, at which point they conduct research and obtain actionable information about the ways in which design can address those issues. This not only enhances satisfaction with regards to both healthcare practitioners and their patients, but also allows the facilities themselves to gain a competitive edge in terms of the care that they’re capable of providing.
Healthcare Facilities Solutions leverages all of the core concepts of evidence-based design and uses them towards the creation of buildings that are both healthier and offer a higher level of sustainability than ever before. By working closely with specialists to determine their overall needs and by closely defining their vision and goals, designers can then make innovative and practical decisions with regards to finishes and more.
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