By Healthcare Facilities Today

Healthcare design today not only emphasizes style and comfort, but also impacts patient outcomes and infection prevention, said Jocelyn Stroupe, health care interior designer, in a Q&A in the November issue of Health Facilities Management.

Stroupe said that this is a dramatic change from when she entered the industry about 25 years ago, citing a number of generally positive evolutions.

"When I first started in health care design, there were limited options from a design perspective. Products were rather utilitarian and those that met the performance criteria were limited. Health care design was considered function before design, Stroupe said.

That began to change when health care providers recognized that consumers make choices about where they receive care. The evolution continued as it was recognized that women made most of the health care decisions for their families, according to the article.

"We are now in an era of accountability on all levels that impacts design, too. There is a financial consideration of return on investment, and an impact on operations and patient outcomes," Stroupe said.

Read the article.