Major Forum Tackles Hospital Design
The health care industry needs a strong voice for evidence-based architectural design of hospital and health systems, according to Dr. Carolyn Clancy (H’08), director of the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. On Jan. 29, Clancy delivered the keynote address at a major forum, hosted by the Department of Health Systems Administration at the School of Nursing and Health Studies. Perkins+Will, an international architecture firm that specializes in health care, sponsored the forum. The daylong event—held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington—covered an emerging collaboration among hospital administrators and architects to implement design innovations that improve quality of health care for patients in hospital settings. “Clearly, health care needs a strong voice for evidence-based design,” said Clancy. “Patient safety, hospital construction, and making sure patients get the best possible outcomes are about as local as it gets in health care. Where it matters is on the ground where you live.” Carrie Rich (G’09), who is earning her master’s degree in health systems administration and also working at Perkins+Will, was among a team that organized the forum, which brought together about 70 speakers and participants from academe, the architecture industry, and health care. “Carrie is really the spark behind this whole experience [today],” said forum moderator Gary Filerman, professor of health systems administration. “We’re very much in her debt for seeing this through to reality.” Rich said she first conceived of the idea for the forum after speaking with a hospital executive who expressed deep concerns about the soundness of the facility’s physical infrastructure. She said she hoped the forum would allow participants to learn from one another, provide ideas for solutions, and discover new questions. “I am convinced that it is our questions that brought us here today,” Rich said. “I hope you will leave here with more questions than answers and that you will challenge each other.” Throughout the day, speakers addressed a range of topics, including the research status of evidence-based design, integration of information technology, the effects of design on health professionals, sustainable design, related advice for health care executives, and community engagement and fundraising for new facilities. Forum participant Kerrie Cardon, a registered nurse and an architect, discussed the ways in which hospital design affects caregivers’ workplace satisfaction and ability to spend time with patients. For example, she noted that due to the floor plan of some hospitals, nurses could walk up to six miles during their shifts. “We’re wearing nurses out,” she said. By altering hallway layout, Cardon noted that she could reduce that number to three miles, giving about an hour back to the nursing staff for more direct face-time with patients. “What a fabulous time to be in the design industry right now,” Cardon said. Clancy echoed similar themes in her keynote address. “[Designs] of organizations, facilities, work processes, and equipment are all highly interdependent and impact one another,” Clancy said. “They also have impact on patient outcomes, safety, and staff satisfaction. Either positively or negatively, the design will exert its influence.”
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