It has been noted in recent times that when patients are in more comfortable surroundings, there is a positive impact on their recovery time and well-being when they are in a hospital surrounding. This is why effective building design can be used to help patients make quicker recoveries, and also help hospital staff work more effectively. Evidence-based design (EBD), which is the process of making changes to a built environment based on research, improves outcomes and has also helped lower the incidences of hospital-acquired infection, medical errors and patient accidents as well as staff injuries.

Evidence-based design

Using these EBD techniques means that today’s architects and designers have been able to develop solutions for better healing environments. Healthcare facilities often have unique individual requirements, as well as having a range of specialised hospital rooms which can require bespoke implementations, for instance for patient recovery wards, operating theatres, pressurised rooms and laboratories. When these are designed carefully, this can improve safety and productivity, reduce staff stress levels, lower resource wastage and even enhance environmental sustainability.