Engineers and researchers have sent us a very interesting study. We tell you everything.
The majority of soignant.es say they suffer from the aggressiveness of visitors, patients and even each other. The rule? Appeasement. And rather than saying it, we might as well write it on the walls as soon as people are in a waiting position, sitting down and therefore captive by obligation. A reception hall, a waiting room, a bedroom are spaces conducive to the dissemination of messages. For the employees of hospitals and clinics, all the corridors are terribly gloomy. So yes, wall decoration can change the perception of your establishment. 98% smell better afterwards and for a long time.
To go a little further and unsurprisingly, we are increasingly aware of the brutal effect of hospitals on the planet in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption, production of carcinogenic dioxins due to the incineration of hospital waste, etc.
Thus, health centres are establishments which, in order to provide quality health care, cannot ignore the technical, technological, administrative and ethical connotations that this matter entails.
Hospitals require a wide range of human, material, economic and technological resources, both individually and collectively and integrated, with a clear, sustainable and optimized structure. An all-in-one in which hospital planning and design have the first and last word. The same goes for the clinics.
Tips for improving hospital design
Each hospital design process incorporates innovative features needed to support and maintain different hospital models.
The hospital design of today and tomorrow seeks to make patients and medical staff as comfortable as possible without compromising the efficiency of services. Therefore, it is essential to have several elements in t^te when planning the design of a hospital.
1. Improved efficiency
If the design is tailored to the needs of each hospital, covering any area, it will result in increased efficiency and productivity. It is also highly recommended to include a specific plan for the medical professionals who will be working there, so that they feel part of the project at all times.
2. Stabilize the facilities
When building health centers, facility stabilization is a concept that brings only benefits, such as huge savings in resources and costs.
3. Space flexibility
Removing barriers and partitions, facilitating the integration of diagnostic rooms, having more mobile and multidisciplinary teams, ultimately means making spaces more flexible, gaining in productivity and efficiency.
4. Staff at the centre of attention
The need for healthcare personnel in the design of a hospital is one more part of this process. The more safety, warmth and calm, the better the work of professionals. On the contrary, if there is not a good ergonomic and functional line, or if the staff is insufficient, the data shows that the mortality rate is higher, as well as healthcare-related infections, stress and exhaustion levels, etc.
5. Think about comfort
The patient’s room is not the only space, far from it, to think about when designing. A good environment, wide and pleasant corridors, valued rest areas and places that somehow inspire you to rest, improve or get some fresh air, are one of the keys to success. Signage is also a comfort for all users. PRM, ERP… there are unavoidable obligations BUT it can be done in an artistic, aesthetic and humanizing way.
Objective: “to direct, reassure and humanize all the spaces”
6. Innovative equipment
Both to reduce costs and to improve staff productivity and efficiency, having innovative devices, such as vending machines, is a must in any planning. In short, smart space distribution design should be a solution, not a problem. This will result, for example, in the adaptation of hospital equipment in terms of dimensions.
7. Building materials and waste
Ergonomics, ease of sterilization, adaptability and quality. These are the four key factors in hospital design. For its part, another of the points that must be evaluated as a priority is the waste disposal process.
The importance of the electricity system
Another key aspect is the design of an electrical system in hospitals. Health centers require electrical systems that have different requirements than a home installation. In particular, the use of so many vital pieces of equipment that are powered by electrical energy; They are becoming a kind of absolute priority in the hospital environment with the search for the highest possible autonomy.
“It’s important to understand that every hospital has its own unique needs, so creating a standard electrical system is already a mistake.”
In addition, there must be a backup electrical system, with measures to be taken into account such as the installation of UPS uninterruptible power supply systems or computer power systems, capable of guaranteeing the quality of the power supply.
Hospital architecture assessment
In this regard, the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), in collaboration with the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), has carried out a study on the evaluation of hospital architecture using the methodology of “evidence-based design”, the aim of which is to establish a direct link between design strategies and medical outcomes.
On the potential of architectural design in patient recovery, UPM has designed a tool capable of assessing the environmental and functional quality of a hospital’s units in operation. This tool makes it possible to identify possible improvement actions and order them according to their cost, which can be very useful for healthcare institutions.
This is a study that clearly shows what scientific evidence has been indicating for decades: the influence of architecture on people’s health. For example, a study published in the 1980s in the journal Science showed that patients who had a view of a green environment from their hospital room spent less time in the hospital and needed fewer painkillers.
