Healthcare architecture has witnessed a radical shift in the perspective toward the design of its facilities.

At Hidecor, from Mitra Biotech to Belenus Champion, we have been part of this sector, in terms of design and build and observed as well as executed the evident transformations.

And it is from experience we share here the best practices for building smarter healthcare through better design.

To create a healing experience for patients, visitors, and staff – People, Process, Place, and Technology – must be considered individually and in complement.

These four pillars when ensembled in synergy, ensures healthcare interiors contribute to a healing environment. — Anantha.

Building better healthcare is a comprehensive process. The unique factors design teams must consider while building better healthcare facilities, which, is a comprehensive process, are:

Evidence-based design

An experiment conducted by neuropsychiatric providers in Italy found that patients suffering from bipolar disorder spent an average of four fewer days in the hospital when they were assigned east-facing rooms that captured morning sunlight.

This is an evidence-based design.

Modern healthcare interiors are created on the premise of evidence-based design, or the use of credible research to influence built environments so that patient outcomes improve.

Design unity

More than just walls and a roof, a healthcare facility represents a brand.

In a time when most healthcare construction projects are expansions or renovations, maintaining continuity across “old” and “new” portions of healthcare facilities is critical.

The interior design decisions of the facility bear a direct correlation towards achieving a cohesive vision between departments, old and new.

This is what Design unity primarily represents.

Code compliance

One of the key benefits of choosing Design-Build for any healthcare construction project is improved information sharing among teams. This is paramount as code compliance is not negotiable when it comes to healthcare.

The protection of patients, visitors, and facility employees are paramount, so interior design initiatives must first address code compliance. No exceptions.

Interior designers stay in close contact with project managers and have a running start as they ensure all applicable local rules are followed – a rule, etched in store for all Hidecorians.

Hygiene

Cleanability or maintaining hygiene is arguably the most important defense against spreading diseases in spaces inherently full of them.

Paying close attention to the design of the furniture goes a long way. For example, avoiding surfaces with seams and joints – which typically will harbor bacteria.

Similarly, furnishings and finishes in patient rooms that can be easily wiped down and thus reduces contamination possibilities drastically are favored. Advances in textile coatings have allowed designers to select antimicrobial furnishings that fight the spread of disease.

Healthcare is the intersection where compassion and science meet. Workplaces in the health industry don’t need to be cold, sterile, or impersonal. Holistic care and recovery requires more than just employing the best doctors and the latest technologies, but also great healthcare facility design.

As healthcare, interior design moves beyond just materials to consider (elements like wayfinding, biophilia, and natural light), experience is driven most by four factors — people, process, place, and technology — all of which have an impact on the design outcome.

People

One way for interior design to improve the experience for patients and their families is to reduce the anxiety of the unknown.

The caregiver experience can be improved by connecting staff — and their patients — to the organization’s mission of care, thus building a space that translates directly into improved medical outcomes.

Process

While process improvements aren’t often considered an interior design issue, every process change has a design implication.

Consider the waiting experience. Typically patients sit in the waiting room, staring at the door where nurses emerge, waiting for their name to be called, getting more and more anxious. Simply reconfiguring the seating or considering activity-based waiting so patients aren’t staring at the door can make a big difference.

Place

It is a place that visually communicates the mission, culture, and values while spatially promoting, supporting, and enabling the behaviors and actions associated with those broader goals – this embodies and reflects the aspirational qualities of the branded healthcare facility.

Interior design can also put patients at ease by connecting them to the place where they live and by giving them a sense of belonging, either with architecture that evokes the vernacular traditions of an area, or with design elements that reference local history and culture.

Landscaping or creating some inherently sustainable like native plantings take biophilia to the next level. These in turn not only connect with humans’ innate love for nature in general but their love of the everyday natural world in which they live.

Technology

Technology enables people to become more active participants in their own care, and those who do so are likely to have improved health behaviors, positive care outcomes, and enjoyable care experiences.

One important role of technology is to strengthen communication between patients and caregivers. This can be accomplished with telemedicine — remote consultations with care providers — patient tracking systems, patient portals, and, in the not-too-distant future, medical-grade wearable devices.

Telehealth systems can also improve communications between caregivers themselves, especially among distributed care teams.

After transforming huge areas (goes in millions of square footage) and building state of art facilities and hospitals, we have been at the helm of the real evolution of healthcare interior design. By considering the people one is designed for, the processes and behaviors one wants to encourage, the unique qualities of the places where people live and work, and the ways in which technology can advance not only medical care but also the human experience, Hidecor can create truly transformative healthcare environments that help people live and work their best.