By Healthcare Facilities Today

At a discussion at the recent Healthcare Design Conference, healthcare facility administrators were given a list of 16 hot-button issues and three votes to cast for the issues that ranked highest from his or her perspective.

From a list that included everything from “deliver positive experiences” to “promote sustainability issues,” the 17 participants voted “promote an integrated approach to care delivery,” “optimize space utilization and enable adaptability,” and “measure improvements in patient outcomes” their top three according to a blog by Healthcare Design magazine's editor-in-chief Kristin Zeit.

"During the discussion that followed the revelation of these top issues, participants volunteered stories of their own efforts to meet these needs, with varying degrees of success. One hospital system had engaged its executives and service area leaders in multiple discussions about open-pod versus closed-pod caregiver spaces before deciding on the open-pod solution. But they hadn’t asked a key stakeholder: the doctors. “They hated it,” it turned out, because patients interrupted them too often and they wanted more privacy," Zeit wrote.

“Culture” and the role of the patient came up again and again, Zeit said. “You have to match your culture to your design,” said one participant. “We got our medical staff to sign on to our processes ahead of time—and to the idea that the patient leads the process.” 

Read the blog.