More Choices And Inclusivity: Feb. 26 Bisnow Event To Explore Trends In Healthcare Design
In reimagining how the patient spaces look and function, hospitals are embracing technological advancements to enhance the experience for patients, visitors and staff.
Architecture and engineering firm EwingCole has collaborated with healthcare providers nationwide — including in Philadelphia — to deliver cost-effective, award-winning facilities that prioritize patient care and staff experience. Its Philadelphia-based clients include Jefferson Health, Temple University Health System and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
EwingCole principal and Regional Director of Design Saul Jabbawy will be speaking at The State of Philadelphia Healthcare on Feb. 26. The Bisnow event will cover the convergence of technology, design and patient care.
Click here to register and purchase tickets.
In a conversation with Bisnow, Jabbawy discussed the impact of technology in healthcare and the importance of inclusive design.
Bisnow: How are technological advancements being integrated into healthcare spaces to improve patient care?
Jabbawy: We are witnessing a technological revolution that will transform healthcare spaces in the coming years. Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing diagnostics, treatment planning and hospital workflows. Machine learning algorithms analyze vast amounts of medical data, enabling early diagnosis of diseases like cancer and heart conditions. AI-driven tools assist radiologists in identifying anomalies in imaging scans, reducing errors and speeding up diagnosis.
The intelligent intensive care unit, for example, employs a combination of sensors and AI algorithms to continuously monitor patients' physiological data, movements and environmental factors. By analyzing this information in real-time, the AI can assess visual cues such as facial expressions and body movements to detect pain or distress, providing healthcare professionals with actionable insights. This means that we have to plan for considerable added infrastructure for the multiple angle cameras and detection device.
ICU rooms are currently designed with complete transparency to the corridor and with viewing windows from the decentralized nursing stations, which can be distracting for patients who need to rest. If we can create a bit more privacy in the room and replace total visibility through this AI device, it could improve the patient experience while also improving monitoring.
Bisnow: How can technology help with day-to-day operations?
Jabbawy: AI is streamlining hospital operations, particularly in scheduling appointments and managing surgical workflows. Improved surgical flow efficiencies can reduce wait times and increase the availability of surgery rooms and waiting areas. This provides an opportunity to reduce some of the most expensive zones in healthcare.
Automated guided vehicles are revolutionizing hospital transport, impacting the design of elevator systems, AGV parking zones and the onstage and offstage circulation layout.
Bisnow: What design elements are essential for creating spaces that are beneficial for both patients and staff?
Jabbawy: Providing choice for both staff and patients is now a key aspect of our design process. For visitors, this means flexible waiting areas — options to sit in a family area, lobby or workspace with varied furniture choices. For inpatients, choices could include room lighting, window shades or furniture arrangements that allow overnight guests to stay comfortably.
With the increased competition among healthcare providers, it’s critical to enhance the staff experience as well. This may include lounge areas with natural light and flexible seating, conveniently located mother’s rooms, on-site dry cleaning services and private rooms for respite.
Additionally, onstage and offstage circulation significantly improve both the patient and staff experiences. For example, in a 1M SF hospital in Duluth, Minnesota, we incorporated internal service corridors on inpatient floors. Supply elevators open into these corridors, keeping carts out of patient-facing hallways. As a result, nurses called it “the quietest floor ever” — a major improvement for both patient recovery and staff efficiency. While hospitals may need to sacrifice some support space to accommodate extra corridors, the benefits far outweigh the costs.
Bisnow: How can hospitals keep inclusivity in mind through their design?
Jabbawy: Designing with inclusivity in mind is all about considering human needs. Our approach prioritizes physical accessibility, cultural inclusivity, sensory-friendly environments for autism support, gender-inclusive facilities and age-sensitive design. For example, in large healthcare facilities, we integrate eddy spaces for rest along long corridors to accommodate patients and visitors with mobility challenges.
Other inclusive design strategies include enhanced signage readability for those with vision impairments; multilingual technology solutions, such as translation programs during registration; personalized in-room experiences, such as language preferences, music, or food requests; prayer and meditation rooms to accommodate different religious beliefs; and artwork and décor reflecting the diversity of the community.
Bisnow: What future technologies may need to be accommodated with smart design?
Jabbawy: Hospitals are experiencing a shift toward higher acuity care. ICU cases are increasing, while many traditional inpatient cases are transitioning to outpatient care. Additional engineering infrastructure for electrical and data support allows existing med-surg rooms to readily convert into ICUs as well as accommodate future monitoring devices. In some hospitals, we are incorporating mechanical infrastructure to prepare for future pandemics.
This article was produced in collaboration between Studio B and EwingCole. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.
Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.
