Facilities are ‘stuck in the last century’
Specifically, she looked at evidence-based design — an increasingly popular concept in healthcare architecture based on credible evidence to show that a well-designed physical environment can bring many benefits for patients and staff, not least promoting healing.
Ms Hardiman highlighted individual design elements that could contribute to improved patient experiences and outcomes. For instance, natural light led to reduced anxiety and depression, and, from a business case perspective, reduced length of stay. Positive distraction (images, music) also reduced pain and stress, leading to reduced medication and sedation, resulting in more cost savings. Noise reduction alleviated stress and cut down on sleep deprivation, vital in a hospital setting when you consider the restorative power of sleep.
