A recent study, “The Communication Factor: Observations & Opportunities for Improving Clinic Design,” focuses on design's impact on outpatient facility communication, according to a study on the Health Facilities Management website.
The study included 2,872 observations of how physicians, nurses and patients spent their time and how their whereabouts impacted their interactions with colleagues and patients.
The findings showed that design elements had a tremendous impact on the amount and quality of provider-patient interaction in the outpatient setting.
The layouts of the facilities observed offered little opportunity for overlap between physicians, nurses and patients, the study said.