Resource management is a constant struggle in the healthcare industry. Providers must achieve better clinical outcomes with less space, to improve care quality with fewer staff and to facilitate innovation with fewer resources, according to an article on the Hospital Build and Infrastructure magazine.

Architects must optimize the delivery outcomes for healthcare building clients. As patient care delivery occurs mostly inside the hospital facility, the 1 percent initial investment in a facility has a substantial influence on operational costs. As a result, a thorough project strategy may not only improve care, but also lead to significant savings, the article said.

Architectural planning should be grounded in holistic, longitudinal design thinking. While incorporating industry precedents and benchmarks in the design process, designers should also mindful of the limits of "borrowing" from other projects, a strategy that can result in new facilities based on ideas that are no longer valid.

Planning and design teams must study the full spectrum of care delivery, from the clinical environment to knowledge development settings to medical equipment, to identify potential opportunities for cost, space or resource savings, the article said.

Read the article.