Understanding Work and Systems for Healthcare Design

What is it about?

Healthcare facilities are among the most complex of building types. These settings may be viewed as a workplace for staff, but the active participation of patients and families in care results in a work environment for all users—a complex system that includes interactions between the organization (e.g., policies, procedures, culture), people (e.g., staff, patients, visitors, vendors), and the built environment. Within this system, the built environment remains the stage upon which all healing and activity takes place. Designing this set requires the use of a range of evidence, spanning from explicit knowledge (such as published research) to tacit knowledge (how work is performed) in order to optimize the design for "future" work.

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Why is it important?

Organizations have limited opportunities to invest in new construction and renovation. It is important that an interdisciplinary team go beyond designing a newer version of what already exists.