The Department of Defense's Military Health System (MHS) mandates its healthcare facilities be built to world-class standards, which it defines through nine guiding principles, including the use of evidence-based design (EBD).
The other principles are: Provide patient and family-centered care; Achieve world-class quality and safety; Create a positive work environment; Improve operational effectiveness; Be sustainable with a high level of community responsibility; Provide high value and be good stewards of taxpayer money; Design for maximum flexibility, standardization and growth; and Make decisions based on best practices and innovation.
According to an article in Health Facilities Management magazine, the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir, Va., is the first MHS facility to consciously incorporate new EBD ideas to help achieve the other guiding principles deemed necessary to create a world-class hospital. Opened in 2011, the Fort Belvoir hospital covers more than 1.2-million-square-feet, and has 60 clinics and 120 inpatient beds.
One example mentioned in the article of how designers on the project addressed the other guiding principles through EBD is the issue of safety.
Hand-washing is widely believed to be one of the most effective way to prevent the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HAI). So to inspire providers to immediately wash their hands upon entering a patient room, the sinks are strategically placed at the entrance of the room. Attention is also drawn to the location through the use of lighting, as well as wall and flooring materials.
Read more on how EBD was used in the project.
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