As hospital administrators struggle with staff burnout and watch their most experienced nurses, doctors and others leave the profession, they might be asking: Can architecture and design be part of the solution to this industry challenge?

“The physical environment can make the stress of healthcare work feel more acute or help ease it,” said Deborah Wingler, partner and global practice director for applied research at HKS. “Burnout is costing our healthcare system billions of dollars to replace this talent. Deep knowledge is leaving the field.”

At HKS, Wingler works alongside the global architecture firm’s design teams to bring a data-informed, evidence-based approach to projects. She also spearheads partnerships with forward-thinking organizations to reimagine how and where care is delivered, from primary and specialty care to acute and home health.

Some HKS projects that have been informed by her work include Emory Musculoskeletal Institute in Atlanta, Moody Children’s Hospital in Dallas and Eastern General Hospital campus under development in Singapore.

“The goal is to drive innovation, achieve measurable impact and improve the user experience, balancing it all against real-world capital constraints,” Wingler said.

Wingler will be speaking at Bisnow’s Pacific Northwest Healthcare Conference on Oct. 13 in Seattle on the Next Generation of Healthcare Facilities panel.

Wingler spoke with Bisnow about the challenges and opportunities impacting healthcare facility design and how a thoughtful approach to the built environment can support talent retention.

Bisnow: How do you see the design of healthcare facilities in the Pacific Northwest evolving?

Wingler: Facilities need to become better places to give and receive care. That means flexible spaces, technology that gives caregivers time back, greater attention to staff experience, more care delivered closer to home, and behavioral health integrated throughout the care environment.

Success is a place where nurses and care team members want to work, families feel cared for, and everyone feels safe. 

Bisnow: What are the trends reshaping healthcare design?

Wingler: Behavioral health moving closer to communities, workforce constraints changing how we think about capacity, and resilience driving major capital decisions.

Together, these three forces are asking us to design for greater access, operational efficiency and long-term adaptability rather than simply more beds.

Bisnow: What’s an example of bad healthcare workspace design?

Wingler: A space in which there aren’t enough workstation seats for everybody who needs them and workers have to jockey for seats when they come to work is an example of the physical environment creating a negative impact that can be contributing to burnout. But the good news is it’s something we can control and fix.

Bisnow: What do you think will be the main takeaway from the conversation at the Oct. 13 event?

Wingler: The importance of being able to navigate uncertainty. Health systems are balancing rapid changes in care delivery, workforce, technology and patient expectations with rising costs and capital constraints. The challenge is deciding where and how to invest now while creating flexible, accessible environments that can respond to what comes next.

Bisnow: What do you hope people learn or gain from attending the event?

Wingler: I hope they come away with new ideas, new connections and a broader perspective on what’s ahead. Healthcare is changing quickly. Learning how others are navigating these changes and adapting their investment strategies can help all of us create better places for both those who deliver and receive care.

Click here to register for the conference.

This article was produced in collaboration between HKS and Studio B. 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.