Designing the Physical Layout for an Effective Hospital

Dillan Brewer

HADM 4000-002

Developing Health Care Organizations

April 29, 2015

I certify that I have read all the guidelines for research papers for this course, both in the course syllabus and in the Web page handout “Guidelines for Research Papers”, and that this paper

fully complies with them, except for any waivers made by explicit prior agreement with the instructor

Designing the Physical Layout for an Effective Hospital

Executive Summary

It is important for health care facilities to perform all of the necessary tasks and requirements needed to be able to provide the best quality and care available to their patients. One of these tasks is to design a physical layout that will make the hospital efficient and effective. The physical layout of a hospital can have a tremendous impact on how effective the care is that is given to patients. The layout impacts everything that happens on a daily basis in a health care facility. Administrators must work with other health care professionals and the design team in order to create a satisfactory layout that will best serve the health care needs of the patients.

Traditional hospitals were viewed negatively by its patients. The last place anyone ever wanted to be a person was sick was the hospital because going to the hospital normally made things worse. The designs of these hospitals were inefficient and not capable of meeting the needs of patients. The buildings were poorly structured and not capable providing optimum care. New designs and processes were needed to make hospitals into a positive image.

Designing new hospitals is no small task. Organizations should conduct site visits, perform extensive research, and determine what the overall goals and strategies are of the hospital. There are several designing methods that can be performed to provide an effective physical layout. Simulations can be done to decide how different layouts will affect patient satisfaction and quality of care. Methods such as Lean management and evidence-based design also allow for health care organizations to determine what is the best possible physical layout for their facilities. Some organizations can even use these methods to remodel older hospitals in order to make the layouts successful for their facilities.

The attributes, products, and equipment that contribute to the layout are vital in providing a facility that will be able to meet the health care needs of patients. There are many variables that hospitals can add to a layout to make the design more friendly and satisfying to patients. The visual and audible environments can have an impact on the layout and the health of patients in the hospital. Planning the location of materials such as workstations, supplies, and equipment is important in having an effective healthcare facility.

The overall goal for designing an effective physical layout for a hospital is to have the best atmosphere and efficient area to provide the best quality care to patients in the facility. A successful hospital design will satisfy the needs of its patients in the more productive and safe way. An effective hospital layout will allow health care professionals to perform quality health care services that will improve the lives of patients.

I. The Overview of Hospital Design

A. Traditional Hospitals1. Layout of Hospitals2. Design of Architecture3. Patient Views of Traditional Hospitals

B. New Designs for Hospitals1. Evidence-based Design as a Guiding Principle2. Creating New Processes from Identifying Hospital Needs

II. The Designing Process for New Facilities

A. Site Visits and Research

B. Design Selection

C. Changing the Paradigm1. Value Stream and LEAN Management2. Workplace Organization Design3. Workflow Analysis

D. Making Older Hospitals Efficient in Today’s Society

III. The Importance of Layout for a Patient-centered Environment

A. Layout Attributes, Products, and Equipment

B. The Visual Environment

C. An Audible Atmosphere and Need for Communication

IV. Hospitals with Effectively Implemented Layouts

V. Conclusion: The Need for Successful Layouts

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………….…………………………………………………...1

The Overview of Hospital Design…………………………………………………….....2

Traditional Hospitals…………………………………………………………….2

New Designs for Hospitals……………………………………………………….3

The Designing Process for New Facilities………………………………………………4

Site Visits and Research…………………………………………………………4

Design Selection………………………………………………………………….5

Changing the Paradigm…………………………………………………………7

Making Older Hospital’s Efficient in Today’s Society……………………….11

The Importance of Layout for a Patient-centered Environment…….……………...12

Layout Attributes, Products, and Equipment……………….…….……...…..12

The Visual Environment……………………………………………………….13

An Audible Atmosphere and Need for Communication…………….……….15

Hospitals with Effectively Implemented Layouts…………………………………….16

Conclusion: The Need for Successful Layouts……………………….……………….19

Works Cited…………………………………………………………………...………..21

Introduction

The physical layout of a health care facility has serious and important effects on the

processes that take place within a health care organization. The layout of a health care facility

plays a crucial role in the daily occurring operations of the business. Each facility must be

planned extraordinarily well so that there are limited expenses for future renovations and

modifications. Effective facility-planning techniques have been found to reduce operational

inefficiencies and may lower such costs by up to thirty percent (Huang).

There are many health care facilities that lack an effective layout for their hospitals and

medical practices, but many do not do so intentionally. It comes from not understanding the

effect that the physical layout has on the performance of the health care organization. The

physical layout is often overlooked compared to other important business needs such as time,

money, equipment, and staffing. Space planning is important in the success of a health care

organization, but this designing of an optimal health care facility is often ignored and set aside to

deal with at another time.

The designing of the physical layout for a hospital needs to be dealt with at the beginning

of the building process of a hospital. This will help make sure that the performance and quality

of care for that organization is not halted or impeded. In order to plan for future designs, there

must first be an understanding of how hospital layouts used to be designed and why there

became a need for change in health care facilities in regard to the physical layout and design of a

hospital.

The Overview of Hospital Design

Traditional Hospitals

The terms used to describe how traditional hospitals were viewed as can be

visualized in words such as “dreadful,” “awful,” and “discomforting.” These are all deemed

reasonable terms in regard to how hospitals were in the past.

Hospitals were places that many people tried to avoid. Traditional hospitals were

regarded as places where people only went if it was absolutely necessary. This was because if

someone was sick, it was likely that the person would not make it out of the hospital alive.

Hospitals were viewed poorly not only by the events that took place on the inside, but by how

the design and architecture of these health care facilities were as well. The architecture of the

hospitals evoked feelings and emotions that negatively impacted the visualization of the

facilities. There was no sense of comfort and homeliness in the hospitals. The environmental

factors did not contribute to a feeling of protectiveness and safety from the medical events

occurring in the lives of each patient. Many traditional hospitals were dull in atmospheric

appearances and the lack of vibrancy did not appeal to the patients waiting to be examined.

Everything was very congested in terms of patient and employee workflow, which

stressed out health care providers and made the patients anxious. The layout of the examining

rooms for the patients tended to not give much privacy and this made patients feel uncomfortable

when dealing with their medical issues. The walls were very thin and sound from one room to

the next could be easily heard by nearby physicians and patients. In fact, the only physical

structures that were allowing privacy and a blockade from catching another patient’s diseases in

the examining rooms were curtains being help up on steel rails. This lack of privacy was not very

patient-oriented for those wanting to be seen by a health care provider. The lack of privacy for

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patients and the threat of diseases being spread easily in the hospital environment were key

factors in determining that a new layout system for health care organizations was needed.

Fortunately, with the advancement in technology, the image of hospital’s has changed

from being a place of lingering death to a place where effective treatment can be given

(Miller: 30). Hospitals began to address patient needs and began to create an environment that

was more accommodating for people entering a health care facility. Other aspects of health care

in the hospital setting began to change, such as more flexible visiting hours, improved meals for

patients, and better documentation of a patient’s health. Efforts in design change were also

visible such as improved lighting, noise reduction, and a more homely environment with colorful

walls and more comfortable bedding (Miller: 30).

The growth of medical technology shifted the mindset of healthcare from curative to

preventive models. In order to increase the quality of care and the overall health of patients, new

designs in hospital layouts were needed. This would help lead to an increase in overall efficiency

of health care professionals and better safety for the people involved with these health care

organizations.

New Designs for Hospitals

Healthcare has become very focused on being patient-centered. Health care organizations

are now more than ever under pressure to not only provide quality care that is cost effective, but

also keep quality as a key focus such as in reducing medical errors.

In order to keep this mentality, healthcare organizations have adapted the idea of

evidence-based design. The study of this method has become significant. With architects

constructing and remodeling healthcare facilities, evidence-based design is an approach that will

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increase the overall quality and performance of care in hospitals. This method has been proven to

help with not only patient healing, but also health care professionals well-being and safety of the

entire facility. The physical environment at a hospital has been proven to affect several health

care issues such as pain, stress, errors, and the overall health of a patient. Evidence-based design

is used by managers and architects in order to plan and design health care facilities. It also should

feature the input of all different specialties of healthcare professionals such as nurses, physicians,

and technicians. Using an evidence-based design helps to ensure that hospitals are safer, health

care professionals are less stressful, and patients are receiving the highest quality of care with

little safety hazards (Spikes).

The Designing Process for Facilities

Site Visits and Research

The speed at which healthcare rapidly changes makes it difficult at times to ensure a

hospital is up to date on the latest healthcare technology and medical practices. If a health care

organization falls behind with the changing of medical technology, a facility can become

ineffective and inefficient. Health care managers and architects must also be able to manage the

change that health care goes through. Designing a new health care facility can be a difficult task

when facing such a rapid and always evolving culture. Architects can use site visits and research

strategies to make sure the designs of a layout are kept in proper standards and all requirements

are fulfilled. Site visits allow for designers to view different layouts to see which alternative is

most beneficial for their own health care organization they are designing. Site visits also help

identify potential problems that different layouts can and may encounter throughout the years of

a health care organization.

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When conducting a site visit, it is important that a design team is created before

performing any further tasks. Having a whole team of designers can help create a variety

of new ideas and perspectives in regard to creating their own layout for a hospital. It is important

to make sure everyone understands the overall goals of what they plan to accomplish as a design

team. The design team can break apart into different groups to focus on specific, general, and

departmental designs for their health care organization. In terms of specific items, the designers

can focus on matters such as patient room walls or nursing stations. General designing can show

how to structure a facility to become patient-centered and to improve the quality of the facility

(Marberry: 5). A departmental design would focus on learning the operations of specific

departments such as an intensive care unit or an emergency department.

Conducting research lets an organization see what the state-of-the-art facilities look like

and how these facilities are managed and operated. It is important to conduct research on

different types of healthcare layouts so it can be easily seen what type of layout will work best

for the desired goals and needs of the facility needing to be designed. Once different facilities are

researched and visited, architects can decide which facility they want to design. Analyzing

research also opens up the opportunity to see and determine if maybe there are variables that

could be added in order to improve a particular layout of a hospital. It is important to make sure

that these processes occur because if the proper design is not selected, it could lower the

effectiveness of that particular hospital. (Marberry: 8).

Design Selection

The best facility designs involve multi-step processes in deciding what layout a health

care organization is going to use and how the health care organization is going to implement the

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design. This process begins by observing and analyzing the current situation. A health care

organization needs to identify what its needs and goals are. The health care facility also needs to

identify where possible problems and issues may occur during the implementation of the design

of the hospital. There needs to be an observation of space regarding what type and how much

space is being used currently and what the future needs will be when implementing the design.

Flow charts should be utilized in determining where and how the layout of all materials, rooms,

equipment, and providers will move throughout the health care facility (Evans). There should

also be multiple possible layouts designed in case something happens in which the first layout

implementation goes wrong and the next best possible solution is needed.

One very popular tool that is being used to determine which process to use in designing a

layout is by using simulations. Simulations for designs help to determine layout criteria such as

costs, flexibility, safety for patients and providers, utilization, and maintenance (Liu). The

simulations help to show how possible each layout design is and how it would be able to operate.

It takes in considerations that make the designing process difficult such as high costs, long

construction times, and compatibility of systems. The costs that are considered in the simulations

are the costs for initial implementation and for maintaining the layout. The safety measures taken

by a hospital affect not only patients, but also employees in the health care facility. Simulations

show how durable the hospital layout can be over long periods of time and how easily it is for

health care providers to optimize the utility of the layout in order to increase the quality of care

for the patients of the health care facility. There needs to be as little workflow movement as

possible for health care providers in the hospital to ensure the quality of care is not decreased

because of the fatigue of its providers.

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The speed of movement and workflow within the health care facility is one of the most

important criteria in deciding what layout to implement. Saving time moving around in the

hospital saves the hospital money and efficiency so the layout must be able to produce the most

efficient movement of workflow in the health care facility. Maintaining the sustainability of the

physical layout is also a very important factor for choosing the proper layout as well as providing

environmentally friendly aspects to the health care facility. These two factors are important

because providing eco-friendly appliances and having proper maintenance techniques for a

particular layout can help the hospital save lots of time, money, and resources in the longevity of

the health care organization (Liu).

Changing the Paradigm

New health care facilities are undergoing a vital change in how care and quality are

evaluated. Facilities are being asked to operate with fewer resources while still improving the

results for the patients keeping quality and safety as top priorities. Providers must work with

these changes in order to receive as much reimbursement from insurance companies as possible.

The most popular method currently in producing these types of results is by using Lean

management. This methodology is designed to reduce waste while performing at a high quality

and productivity of services. This process was standardized and perfected by the Toyota

Production System in the assembling of cars (Joseph).

Designing a layout for a hospital uses many key Lean principles. The objectives of Lean

are to have a focus on patients in order to discharge them in a timely fashion after receiving good

care, reduce costs of the hospital, and to improve the quality of the care. Other Lean objectives

are to reduce the time spent on a particular task or area and to simplify the work process so that

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patient satisfaction is high and the care given to each patient is a direct result of each individual’s

health care needs. The optimal facility layout involves obtaining smooth flow, minimizing

handling distances, reducing costs and wastes, and improving the work environment (Joseph).

In order to develop the most optimal layout, there needs to be an assessment of how

current operations are running and how the new Lean design will benefit the future of the

hospital. A workflow analysis is crucial in designing an effective layout. A workflow analysis is

used with being able to value stream a particular facility and its physical layout (Novicoff). A

value stream shows all the activities required to bring a service from a health care provider to the

patient in fulfillment of their services needed. Using value stream can evaluate deficiencies in

quality of the services rendered and wastes of a hospital. This layout system focuses on reducing

wait time, reduce waste, high quality assurance, and using no unordinary resources to provide the

best care available. A hospital that uses the Lean system will also use visual controls in aiding

its patients and health care providers. These visual controls are simple signals that provide an

immediate understanding of a situation or condition. Visual controls in a layout will help reduce

time wasted and increase the efficiency of the health care facility.

A workflow analysis shows how materials, patient information, and people in the health

care organization move through a hospital. It is used in order to improve efficiency, safety, and

the quality of care given within the facility. The figure below shows the workflow of patients

through a typical hospital layout. Patient flow can become rather complex with lots of moving

parts and therefore it is important to try to eliminate as much movement as possible. When

transportation is decreased, there can be a prevention of medical errors and this will help keep

high quality measures for the hospital.

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A Lean layout will not only provide an area of space for the daily operations of the

present, but will also be prepared to adapt to the always changing health care environment and

the space needed to grow within the facility. This type of layout design will always be trying to 1 “LSCC Adult Health and Wellness at Lake Aire Visit Workflow.” [Online Image]. (2010).

Web. 18 Mar. 2015. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/ataveechai/clinic-workflow-diagram.

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have continuous improvement for the layout. The layout is always prepared and open to new

ideas for better processing of health care for the organization.

The transportation aspect of Lean is also very important when designing the physical

layout of a hospital. A health care facility does not want excessive movement of patients,

medicines, or supplies. Therefore, the design of the hospitals needs to be where each item a

patient needs or will use is as close to the patient as possible from the time the patient arrives to

the hospital until the time the patient is discharged. The less movement there is within the

hospital, the better of a design the layout is. Having a Lean facility includes being able to have

alternative layouts ready for evaluation if something changes within the health care organization.

It is very beneficial to be a Lean facility because if done correctly, the layout will optimize

workflow, increase staff productivity, reduce wastes, be more efficient, have a safer

environment, and will attain the highest level of quality possible (Joseph).

Even though there may be some resistance to the process changing of Lean, the usage of

Lean in the designing process of a layout will result in better satisfaction and experiences for all

people involved in the health care facility. There will be a reduction in wait time when using

Lean and this will lead to higher patient satisfaction. The quality of care for each patient will be

higher because there will be less medical error and fatigue by health care providers. The patient

satisfaction will also increase because patients will be able to spend more time with their

providers because workflows will be able to reduce unneeded transportation and movement

throughout the hospital. Many processing techniques will become standardized and this will help

reduce waste and errors in the health care facility. Employees will also be satisfied because they

will be able to conduct their procedures in a safe environment. Health care provider needs will be

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attainted at a faster rate using this methodology. This process will allow for helping the patient

receive quality care to be the focus in the hospital (Joseph).

Making Older Hospitals Efficient in Today’s Society

A big issue facing health care in the United States is the aging of the buildings of

hospitals. Older hospitals were designed to mainly house and treat patients and these facilities

can sometimes have lots of difficulty adapting to the present needs of hospitals. Many architects

have a hard time making older hospitals work for the goals of health care facilities today. Aging

facilities make it a challenge to retrofit the buildings with new technology and state-of-the-art

equipment, even as educated patients demand the highest level of innovation available when

seeking out their hospital of choice (Wardlaw). The problem with older hospitals is that many

were not built for expansion either vertically or horizontally. It is important to make sure that the

design of older facilities will be able to meet the goals and desires of the hospital.

Another key issue in dealing with older health care facilities is the safety hazards an older

hospital may have. The hospital needs to have enough space so that patient flow and

organizational flow is not hazardous. The overall structure of the hospital must be sound,

meaning that the roofing, walls, and flooring are all in good keep. (Miller: 64).

Many hospitals that become bought out by larger health care organization undergo

restoration projects in order to keep up with the demanding quality and safety concerns I health

care. Renovating hospitals can help lower costs and are a cheaper alternative than building a

layout from the ground up. The problem with this strategy is that the parameters of the design are

limited in regard to how much can actually be changed on an established building. Older

hospitals have many concerns and issues when dealing with their overall effectiveness and

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efficiency for modern health care, but those facilities that are able to undergo renovation can

become vital acquisitions to many prominent health care organizations throughout the country.

The Importance of Layout for Patient-centered Environment

Layout Attributes, Products, and Equipment

There are several important factors to consider when implementing and designing the

layout for a hospital in order for the facility to be optimal and effective. There must be a

determination of the resources given and how those resources will improve the quality and safety

of care given in the organization. Designing private in-patient rooms is able to decrease infection

rates and increase the privacy of patients in a hospital. It is also a good idea to have decentralized

nursing stations in the layout of the facility. The decentralization of work stations for health care

professionals helps to improve the visibility of patient rooms and decreases the distance that the

nurses and other staff are from each patient’s room (Hamilton). Unit configuration and location

for different medical devices and products helps to promote the efficiency in the process of

delivering high quality of care.

It is also important to consider the little variables that make healthcare run smoothly on a

daily basis. The idea of washing a physician’s hands before and after each surgery to eliminate

the spread of germs and diseases was a major milestone in delivering health care to those who

were sick and unhealthy. Promoting hand washing as often as possible can be done by providing

hand-washing stations often throughout a facility. It is also important to remember that you are

not only providing a service to the patient, but to the family and caretakers of the patient as well.

This causes a need for an efficient family area within the patients room. This helps to promote

communication with the family and the health care providers, it gives way to trust being

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established between the family and the health care providers, and its helps to promote the desired

positive patient satisfaction within the facility (Spikes).

The health care staff can also suggest ideas on how to help benefit the facility to ensure

the layout is capable of supporting all the needs of the hospital. If the staff feels like the

workspace currently is too small, the new layout can provide a larger workspace for the health

care professionals to use. It is also important to make sure that there are lots of storage areas

within the hospital layout. There needs to be enough storage to be able to put away supplies,

carts, medical devices, and other equipment items.

With the increase in health information technology and electronic health records, there

needs to be computer workstations in all patients’ rooms that can be mounted to the room so that

there is always a computer in each room. There should also be concerns for energy conservation

and the overall “green” concept in the new layout. Having efficient equipment and materials

throughout the facility such as for lighting and power services can help increase the quality of

services, promote patient safety more effectively, and can decrease the costs of the health care

facility in the long run. Providing an effective layout can help the staff learn cost and safety

outcomes, which can in turn lead to better patient and employee satisfaction. (Marmion).

The Visual Environment

The atmosphere created visually can have a large impact on the overall patient experience

and satisfaction when they go to a hospital. The physical layout of a facility where care services

take place is viewed as an important factor relating to how patients undergo the healing process.

Being hospitalized can become a very stressful and anxiety filled time in a patient’s life. It can be

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both physically and mentally exhausting for patients and they desire to have the best health care

facilities and services available to them when these patients enter a hospital.

The physical layout of a hospital can have a huge affect on the overall patient satisfaction

of their health care. The visual environment can consist of windows, lighting, views of nature,

art, wall coloring, and plant life. The visual environment can have an impact on cost and quality

of care for each patient that walks into the hospital. Studies suggest that covered furnishing,

colors of items and walls, and art are environmental factors that can positively affect the

recovery and rehabilitation of a patient in a hospital setting (Laursen).

The visual environment has a considerable effect on pain control and therapeutic

activities that go on during the stay at a health care facility. The impact that a hospital’s

atmosphere can have on a patient’s anxiety and pain can be very beneficial to the health care

organization. If the environment is able to be a positive experience and patient satisfaction is

good, then healthcare costs of the hospital could be reduced for that particular patient. Making

sure that there is ample sunlight available to each patient’s room is also beneficial for the

hospital and the patient it is providing care for at that certain time. Adding plants and vegetation

to the patient’s room or simply having a view of it outside the window can create for a more

homelike atmosphere. This can help lower anxiety levels and calm patients during their stay at a

healthcare facility. Designing rooms with vibrant and positive colors also can help relieve

patients of stress, pain, and anxiety. When these feelings and emotions are suppressed, the

patient will begin to want to move on with their lives and leave the hospital. This helps to

decrease the length of stay and now the hospital can see more patients at a faster rate. This also

benefits the hospital by gain more reimbursement values for profit for themselves and spend less

on each patient a physician will encounter (Laursen).

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An Audible Atmosphere and the Need for Communication

The quality of care can be greatly impacted by a variety of different components. One of

the biggest and most influential of these is the process of communication in delivering care of

good quality and safety. The physical design of a health care facility can significantly impact the

effectiveness of communication within a health care organization among health care providers.

Lack of effective communication is one of the main causes of medical error in health

care. The effect of spatial layout in the physical design of a hospital plays a valuable role in

determining the efficiency of communication amongst health care providers. Spatial elements of

a hospital unit that reduce physical accessibility and generate limited visibility were found to

reduce the frequency of communication among health care providers, which negatively impacted

the quality of care received by patients (Hua). One design that has proven to help decrease

incorrect communication is the decentralization of provider units in a health care organization.

Traditionally, most hospitals are centralized meaning there is one provider station serving as the

main unit for provider interaction and affiliation. An effective facility should be decentralized.

In a decentralized layout, there are multiple provider stations throughout the health care facility.

There are many positive takeaways in regard to a decentralized layout system for a

hospital. There are some primary goals of this type of layout such as helping to limit provider

fatigue. The fatigue is a result from walking lots of paces very often throughout a long shift at

the hospital. Decreasing fatigue will not only make the providers more satisfied, but providers

will also have improved quality of care which will lead to higher patient satisfaction and reduced

costs for the health care organization. This also will increase patient safety because if a provider

is fatigued, the provider is more likely to create a medical error while interacting with the patient.

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Decentralized units also help control the workspace that is always crowded and noisy if it was a

centralized unit. Being more spread out helps the providers give faster feedback to patients

increasing the overall experience at the hospital. In decentralized units, providers have forty

percent more visits to patient rooms and that patients experienced significantly quicker responses

to calls made (Hua).

Positive audible noises have been shown to help with patient satisfaction and anxiety

while being tended to by physicians and nurses. Soft and light music has been proven to help

relieve the stress and reduce the nerves that in-patients have while waiting in their rooms for a

particular surgery or operation (Steinke). While patients are waiting to be called back by their

physicians, many hospitals will play relaxing and soothing rhythms and tunes to help ease the

anxiety that patients may be feeling at the hospital. A hospital design that had speakers in the

waiting rooms and in the examination rooms would lead to positive patient satisfaction because

the music would help distract from any discomfort that the patient might be feeling during the

process of receiving care from a health care provider.

Hospitals with Effectively Implemented Layouts

Health care facility design is like other organizational designs in that each specific

hospital has its own unique layout that has its own set of benefits specifically for that hospital.

Each hospital will have its own specific needs and goals that the facility will try to achieve. No

matter if it is a small or large hospital, each hospital will all have their own particular layout that

best suits that health care facility. There are many types and examples of hospitals that

effectively implemented a physical layout that became successful for its practice. It is important

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to understand that hospitals may appear differently, but each hospital must strive to provide the

best quality of care to its patients and an effective layout can make this goal more attainable.

There have been many successful hospital layouts implemented over the years ranging in

a variety of different types of hospitals. When looking at a patient care unit, a great example is

San Francisco’s Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center. It inspires a more residential atmosphere

where patients can even prepare their own food in kitchenettes. There is a full-spectrum lighting

and mostly wood finishes rather than metal on the chairs and seating within the hospital. There is

also lots of artwork throughout the health care facility and rooms are often decorated with lots of

the patient’s own belongings to make them feel like are more at home. The nursing stations are

very large areas and these stations are open to patients and their families in order to help be a

patient-centered environment. The rooms are incredibly large so that there is plenty of seating for

visitors, room for the providers’ work area, and media accessories such as televisions and video

players (Miller: 178).

Pinelake Medical Center also has a really effective layout design for a hospital.

Architects wanted to have a comfortable environment that incorporated a convenient

way-finding for all patients which would minimize conflict between inpatient and outpatient

traffic. Pinelake Medical Center uses decentralization of traditional departments to help provide

better services for the patients in the hospital. All the patient rooms are oversized to

accommodate family and visitors and are furnished in a residential style, giving each room a

home feeling. There are large storage areas for patient items and medical items as well. The

rooms are all painted with vibrant colors and the lighting in each room can be altered depending

on whether or not the provider needs more of an exam lighting style rather than a residential

lighting style. Provider stations are located no more than fifty feet from each room, which is

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needed when trying to have a facility that is providing patient-focused care. Supplies and

medical equipment are always located close to the patient rooms so that time is reduced when a

patient needs anything during an inpatient visit (Miller: 192).

Pediatric Surgery Centers also have their own specific layout needs that help to ensure

that the children being treated are given the highest quality of care. A great example of a

pediatric hospital design is the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This hospital has large

operating rooms so that all the equipment needed for procedures can easily fit and be moved

around if needed. The waiting room features large family areas with lots of natural light and

pleasant views of the outdoors. It is also located across from the major hospital which provides

patients with an emotional security if the services provided in the pediatric facility become to

extraneous for those health care providers. The workflow is designed in a way that patients enter,

go to surgery, recovery, and back to their assigned rooms all without ever crossing other patients

at various levels of their procedures. The design has a pod arrangement which is more efficient

for the nursing staff because it greatly reduces the time travel to and from the workstations. The

rooms are also decorated and painted to help relieve the stress and anxiety that many children

have when visiting the hospital. Bright colors and decorations of the most popular children items

help to ease the pain that surgery might have for young children in a health care facility

(Miller: 227).

Women’s Centers have also emerged over the past few decades as organizations being

designed specifically for the needs of females and the services women require. The layout of

women’s centers should be able to include a complete list of OB/GYN services, diagnostic

screening services, fertility clinic services, fitness and exercise programs, education programs,

psychological/sociological counseling services, plastic surgery services, and cardiology services

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for all types of women (Miller: 245). One particular facility that successfully designed a layout

suitable for of these requirements is the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. This is a rather larger

four-story facility that gives off the ambiance of a very prestigious hotel in Baltimore. Attention

is given to create a homelike atmosphere by using finishes, artwork, and other materials. The

facility is covered with plant life with an abundance of natural light. Each room is highly

furnished with lots of intimacy items such as comfortable chairs and lamps. There is lots of

storage so that delivery equipment can be put away until needed and the recreational outreach

and gymnasium can help provide a relief of stress for the in-patient women of the medical center.

(Miller: 246).

Each one of these health care facilities was able to create the best possible layouts for

their respective hospitals. There are different needs and desires that a women’s center would

need with its physical layout versus the needs and desires of a children’s hospital. In order to

design the most successful physical layout, the architects and managers must determine the

overall heath care goals of the facility and what strategies should be applied to make sure the

highest quality of care is given to the patients in the hospital. Successful hospitals are also able to

help reduce wastes and lower management costs of the health care organization. The physical

layout will have a significant impact on health care patients satisfaction as well as the health care

providers satisfaction. A correctly implemented layout for a hospital, like the previous examples

shown, will be a beneficial environment in providing patient care.

Conclusion: The Need for a Successful Layout

The physical layout for a hospital is very crucial for the overall success of the health care

facility. There should be lots of factors considered in the layout to confirm that it will be efficient

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and have high quality measures. Planning the location of materials such as workstations,

equipment, supplies, and other miscellaneous items is important in being able to have an

effective health care facility. A hospital must be able to consider the further expansion of its

health care organization for the future when contemplating the physical layout. It should be a

goal of the hospital to have a layout that increases the economical use of the space so that it

optimizes the full capability of resources and the health care providers. The hospital should also

try to increase the effectiveness of how each place in the layout is being used so there is

maximum efficiency.

The layout of the health care facility must manage each of the individual processes that

occur on a daily basis effectively and must make sure the flow of patient, materials, information,

and providers is helping the health care organization achieve its overall goals. This workflow

should also be in accordance to health care policies so that there are no hazardous concerns that

could be detrimental to the hospital. The layout should be able to be designed exactly how the

architects and managers want the layout to be, but it must also be a flexible layout in case

something comes up in the health care organization that needs to be addressed and implemented

to ensure the best quality of care is given to the patients in the hospital setting.

Although the layout’s overall goal should be to provide the best care to the patients of the

facility, a successful hospital design should also be able to satisfy the needs and desires of the

health care professionals that work within the health care organization (Huang). Health care

professionals in the hospital should feel comfortable, safe, and satisfied in going to work for the

health care facility. If a hospital is able to keep these standards of efficiency and quality, then the

design of the layout was successful and the hospital will be able to serve as a beneficial provider

of care to many people.

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