Healthcare Designs Open Up to Meet the Demands of Today’s Primary Care Teams

In the past, the design of the caregiving environment was closed off and secluded. It consisted of cubicle like spaces that offered privacy and a barrier to noise.

Technology and the nature of caregiving has evolved leaving the landscape different.  Storage is no longer an issue, team caregiving is much more common and technology is demanding less space and is more mobile. Therefore, design spaces have evolved too.  The article below was seen in HealthcareDesignMagazine.com.  It discussed the new open work stations that better allow the new type of care. To see the original post, click here.

The information below was provided by HealthcareDesignMagazine.com. It was written by Angela Mazzi, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, associate and medical planner at GBBN Architects, and Erin Schmidt, IIDA, LEEP AP, interior designer at GBBN Architects. 

Reworking The Healthcare Workspace

Clinic space planning and design are evolving to support the delivery of an enhanced, outcome-focused patient experience. Key factors driving this shift include the growing use of technology in care, the increasing complexity of specialty clinics, and the emerging medical home model. Additionally, reimbursement structures geared toward managing wellness instead of treating illness are driving more collaboration among caregivers.

The acknowledgement of any one, if not all, of these factors leads to a new approach to operations, which requires thoughtful consideration of the workspace itself. Though essential to the function of a clinic space, they’re traditionally allocated to the back-of-house.

A more strategic approach to the location and configuration of workspaces can add to the efficiency of a practice, impacting patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Influencers
The use of technology has been evolving in the clinic setting as electronic records become the norm. With clinicians more likely to be interfacing with devices than paper, space efficiencies are being realized. Thanks to the ease of privacy protection afforded by electronic storage, areas once dedicated to records in secluded corners of the clinic space can be moved into centralized patient hubs. Read more here.