Hospital Design Trends
The healthcare industry is expanding now more than ever before. In fact, recent governmental statistics show that healthcare is the fastest growing industry in the country. U.S. hospitals are busier than ever, especially as baby boomers mature and require more comprehensive medical care. These facts make today's hospital design trends a vital part of the American economy as well as an important component of the 'patient experience.' Larger areas for surgical procedures and recovery, more specialized waiting areas, and more comforting examination rooms have become some of the decade's most trending subjects when it comes to the design and construction of hospitals in Seattle and throughout the country. And many of these design trends are based largely on the patient experience ... viewing healthcare from the eyes of those who are being treated.
Operating rooms and surgical suites
Today, emergency rooms are entire emergency departments, often dividing areas for patients who need immediate attention and those whose situations that are less critical. Emergency departments, like most other areas of hospitals, are expanding. As needs grow and populations shift, especially as those individuals born in the baby boomer years of post World War II through 1964, healthcare spaces must be larger to accommodate these changes. And as healthcare is being seen more than ever through the eyes of the patient, hospitals are splitting up departments depending on specialties and subspecialties. This, in fact, has become one of the major trends in hospital design in recent years. Style, too, is becoming more important in operating rooms and surgical suites, as designers opt less for stark white that gives off a cold feel, regardless of the fact that patients see these rooms but momentarily before their procedures are begun. Muted neutrals are replacing the sterility of all-white ORs in order to create better serenity and ease patient tensions.
Waiting areas
Designers of hospitals and doctors' offices are undertaking commercial remodeling projects rather than just hospital remodels, with a renewed understanding that patients are customers. The idea is to create the most pleasant experience possible, especially as insurance laws change and government funding decreases. This means that competition is growing, and it makes the newest hospital design trends even more important, with changes in waiting areas being one of those trends. Divisions are being made between main waiting areas that hold patients as they await appointments, families waiting for loved ones as they receive treatment, smaller areas designed to reduce the spread of infection, and separate areas designed specifically for children to keep them engaged and anxiety-free.
Main patient waiting areas
Main waiting areas often need to be the largest waiting rooms because they accommodate a larger number of patients and families. These are typically located near main hospital entrances, and the biggest trend in main waiting spaces is division into suites, with sub-waiting areas off to the sides where patients are directed for containment of possible infectious conditions. Other major trends include size as well as comfort. With the shift in healthcare toward 'the patient experience,' modern waiting areas are more luxurious, more convenient with separate amenities such as vending areas and restaurants, and even spaces for healthcare education and computers. The idea for today's main waiting areas is akin to the comfort and convenience of hotel lobbies.
Child waiting areas
Perhaps the biggest trend in waiting areas within hospital remodels and new hospital designs is to incorporate a separate area for children. Just as in doctors' offices, many hospitals, even if they're not hospitals designed specifically for children, are opting for designated waiting areas for toddlers, tweens, and teens. These are special waiting rooms and even suites where children can go to await care with their parents, and where parents can engage kids in games and education to keep their minds occupied while they wait. The idea is to supply child-sized furniture for better comfort for kids as well as child-friendly decor. An additional trend is to provide an extra level of privacy and protection for patients who are immunosuppressed and need special care.
Exam rooms
Another trend in hospital designs is the revamping of examination rooms, again with an eye toward incorporating the entire patient experience into every aspect of hospital care. Exam rooms have been overlooked in recent decades, even as other areas of hospital design have evolved. This is no longer the case as commercial designers are being directed to look at every treatment phase, from waiting to recovery, from the viewpoint of the patient. Hospital exam rooms are getting style overhauls, especially in childrens' hospitals. The idea of this trend is to provide as much calm and comfort as possible, even during exams.
Operating rooms and surgical suites
Today, emergency rooms are entire emergency departments, often dividing areas for patients who need immediate attention and those whose situations that are less critical. Emergency departments, like most other areas of hospitals, are expanding. As needs grow and populations shift, especially as those individuals born in the baby boomer years of post World War II through 1964, healthcare spaces must be larger to accommodate these changes. And as healthcare is being seen more than ever through the eyes of the patient, hospitals are splitting up departments depending on specialties and subspecialties. This, in fact, has become one of the major trends in hospital design in recent years. Style, too, is becoming more important in operating rooms and surgical suites, as designers opt less for stark white that gives off a cold feel, regardless of the fact that patients see these rooms but momentarily before their procedures are begun. Muted neutrals are replacing the sterility of all-white ORs in order to create better serenity and ease patient tensions.
Waiting areas
Designers of hospitals and doctors' offices are undertaking commercial remodeling projects rather than just hospital remodels, with a renewed understanding that patients are customers. The idea is to create the most pleasant experience possible, especially as insurance laws change and government funding decreases. This means that competition is growing, and it makes the newest hospital design trends even more important, with changes in waiting areas being one of those trends. Divisions are being made between main waiting areas that hold patients as they await appointments, families waiting for loved ones as they receive treatment, smaller areas designed to reduce the spread of infection, and separate areas designed specifically for children to keep them engaged and anxiety-free.
Main patient waiting areas
Main waiting areas often need to be the largest waiting rooms because they accommodate a larger number of patients and families. These are typically located near main hospital entrances, and the biggest trend in main waiting spaces is division into suites, with sub-waiting areas off to the sides where patients are directed for containment of possible infectious conditions. Other major trends include size as well as comfort. With the shift in healthcare toward 'the patient experience,' modern waiting areas are more luxurious, more convenient with separate amenities such as vending areas and restaurants, and even spaces for healthcare education and computers. The idea for today's main waiting areas is akin to the comfort and convenience of hotel lobbies.
Child waiting areas
Perhaps the biggest trend in waiting areas within hospital remodels and new hospital designs is to incorporate a separate area for children. Just as in doctors' offices, many hospitals, even if they're not hospitals designed specifically for children, are opting for designated waiting areas for toddlers, tweens, and teens. These are special waiting rooms and even suites where children can go to await care with their parents, and where parents can engage kids in games and education to keep their minds occupied while they wait. The idea is to supply child-sized furniture for better comfort for kids as well as child-friendly decor. An additional trend is to provide an extra level of privacy and protection for patients who are immunosuppressed and need special care.
Exam rooms
Another trend in hospital designs is the revamping of examination rooms, again with an eye toward incorporating the entire patient experience into every aspect of hospital care. Exam rooms have been overlooked in recent decades, even as other areas of hospital design have evolved. This is no longer the case as commercial designers are being directed to look at every treatment phase, from waiting to recovery, from the viewpoint of the patient. Hospital exam rooms are getting style overhauls, especially in childrens' hospitals. The idea of this trend is to provide as much calm and comfort as possible, even during exams.