Our Joan Suchomel recently spoke with NPR Phoenix affiliate KJZZ regarding how healthcare design has evolved over the past 30 years. The piece looks at healthcare design through the lens of Phoenix-area Maricipoa Integrated Health System, and then takes a broader view beyond just that health system.
“The leading changes I’ve seen in hospital design in the last 30 years are focused around new technologies, the embrace of evidence-based design and the concept of patient experience,” says Suchomel in the story. Beyond this quote, Suchomel also highlights other key shifts in healthcare design including:
- Increased focus on staff experience and how design can help these individuals manage stress, achieve wellness and thrive on all levels
- New data and research from places like The Center for Health Design ensure today’s health design decisions are rooted in facts and proof points more than ever before
- The emergence of new project delivery models including integrated project delivery, progressive design-build and public-private partnerships
- Health systems embracing design ideas from new markets, including retail, aviation and the commercial workplace
- The influence of consumerism, technology and tele-health among other change agents
- Shifting care needs, with more patients requiring mental health care than in generations past