The modern hospitals emerging across the world with innovative models have transformed patients’ notions and expectations from hospitals. Like luxurious hotels and commercial properties, some hospitals too brandish radiant designs heightening patient satisfaction and possibly treatment outcomes.

The atrium greets one with amply bright and well-furnished lobbies that give a person a feeling of exuberance. Some facilities also have access to a well carved out outdoor sitting and a cafeteria where patient’s friends and family can sit and rest their anxieties of their dear ones admitted there.

Some hospitals are also known to provide green areas/gardens as this has been seen to have a great positive impact and therapeutic effect on those who tread these natural habitats. The levels of stress both amongst patients, their attendants and even the hospital staff who are looking after the patients dramatically reduces. The location and size of such green spaces can vary depending on the hospital plans and design.

Some hospitals in the West have reported that providing special features and comforts in hospitals have resulted in greater footfalls in hospitals. Many a times this factor has preceded quality of clinical care and helped the top line in along the way!!

Yet, are these hotel like hospitals really increasing patient traffic. Those who have evaluated the before and after influence seem to say it has.

As an example, ICUs designed in a large hall with just curtains dividing the patients often showed the impact of cross-infection amongst some. This, in some instances recorded 30% cross infection rate. Yet when the ICUs were

converted into single rooms, the bacterial infection rates were seen to drop by as much as 50%. Moreover ICU ALOS too came down by nearly 10%. These were based on fairly extensive studies. Hence, single ICU rooms are no longer a luxury but rather a necessity.

Obstetric areas/departments too need a lot of humane touch. One of the features would be larger patient rooms such that the mother, child and equipment, if any, can co-exist in the same room. The touch of a mother is the most divine feeling for both.

A cancer ward/department/diagnostic/therapeutic area can likewise be designed differently so as to allay the fears of the patients who come to the hospital with both fear and with hope.

Similarly paediatric departments can also be very impactful if they were to be designed keeping and anxious, ill child in mind. An environment like one finds in a play school for children could dilute the child’s anxiety and fear and enable him to face the medical examination / treatment more affably.

It’s not just the design but the settings and environs within a clinical department has also been known to positively impact patient results. This has been specially proven in the case of children. Studies showed that post surgery, children who listened to a story or music of their liking experienced lesser post-surgery traumatic pain compared to the ones who were not treated to such a fare.

This way one can look at various departments and patient care areas of a hospital and plan it thoughtfuly keeping some of the above factors in mind.

“Design your organization before you design your building,” wrote D.Kirk Hamilton professor of architecture at Texas A&M University. It sums up nicely the symbiotic relationship between culture, process and architectural design.

Thus “form follows function” can be taken to a different level such as to impact patient care outcomes. Gone are the days when the element of “wow effect” in a hospital is considered merely subjective and superfluous. There are numerous examples the world over that have proven the outcomes of congenial and impactful design to positively influence clinical outcomes. It is needless to say that these evidence based designs have changed the meaning and image of a hospital.

Dhanraj Chandriani
Managing Director
Technecon Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.