white paper, "healing environments in health care"

16
Designing Environments for Healing and Wellness

Upload: rachel-happ

Post on 22-Jun-2015

787 views

Category:

Documents


3 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

Designing Environments for Healing and Wellness

Page 2: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

The healthcare system touches everyone, andDesigners, architects, and psychologists realize there has to be an environmental shift in the setting to help the healing process for the patient and families. The need for well-designed hospitals is increasing as awareness grows about the way in which the environment impacts our healing process Today, designers are attempting to evolve hospitals from their typical sterile décor into places of wellness. Studies have proven that natural light can reduce depression, and that scenes of nature can reduce reported pain levels. Evidence based design also proves that building environment has a huge impact on the delivery of healthcare.

Introduction

Page 3: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

-Sense of place

-Private rooms

-Nature

-Artwork

-SoundIt is crucial that hospital environments create the most healing atmosphere possible for the patient

Elements of Design

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn

Page 4: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

In 1903, Dr. August Rollier opened a sunlight clinic in the Swiss Alps. This clinic was one of the first inspirations for modernist designers in the 1920’s and 1930’s who designed hospitals in order to achieve the highest level of sunlight inside. These ways of thinking about the need for light and nature were verified with facts in 1984 when a study by Roger Ulrich was published in Sci-ence Magazine. In this study, Ulrich used forty-six pa-tients, all undergoing the same gall bladder surgery be-tween 1971-1981. Twenty- three of the patients had beds with views of nature; the other twenty-three patients had views of brick walls. Ulrich controlled all variables such as age, sex, smokers vs. non, etc. Each “pair” of patients (one person with a nature view, one person with a brick wall view) was cared for by the same nurse and received the same treatment. The study over the course of those 10 years proved that the patients with the view of nature left the hospital a whole day sooner then those with the brick wall view. Also, the patients with the view of nature required less doses of pain medication then the patients without the view.

Nature

Page 5: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

In addition to views of nature, another aspect of new hos-pital design includes the need for private rooms. The usual hospital room involves two patients, separated by only a single curtain. This gives the patient no sense of privacy, and increases the risk of germs. In a study of Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan, private rooms were given to patients. These rooms featured well-located sinks and improved airflow design. Hospital-acquired infections declined 11 %. Private rooms also help decrease noise level. The Pebble Project was a study conducted by The Center for Health Design in California. This study took place at St. Alphon-sus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Thestatistics proved that reducing noise levels improved sleep quality of patients by almost one half.

Private Rooms and Sound

Page 6: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

With facts and studies aforementioned, designers are seeing the need for change. Current projects in hospital design are underway, and many successful designs have already been completed.

SmithGroup is working on Banner Page Hospital in Page, Arizona. Banner Page is one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the United States. Thishospital will feature light-filled rooms with exterior glass walls, patient privacy through furniture design ( such as bed orientation), as well as extra space in the rooms to accommodate family members.

Banner PageHospital

images from Healthcare Design Magazine

Page 7: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

RTKL Associates is another design firm making incred-ible strides in hospital design. RTKL has worked on luxury resorts and hotels, and now is incorporating similar design principles into hospitals. One of their projects is The Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. The main lobby is built to resemble a solar system. The hospital also features an outdoor healing garden and art studio. In Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Penn-sylvania, the MRI room is set up with nature murals on the ceilings and walls, helping to ease the stress and anxiety of the patients.

RTKL

Lancaster General Hospital MRI roomChildren’s Medical Center, Dallas

Page 8: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

Priestmangoode, based in London, wrote a “Health Manifesto” in February 2010. This manifesto ex-plains, how “hospitals need to be as cost-efficient to build, run and maintain as possible, while maximizing standards of quality and comfort”. Priestmangoode believes that by using the same principles found in airports, first-class air cabins, and hotel rooms, better, more efficient patient environments could be achieved.

“ By choosing the right materials, colours and lighting, they can be designed to be more appealing environments that can ultimately help a patient’s recovery. And the beauty is, they don’t need to cost more.” - Priestmangoode (on hospitals)

“Health Manifesto” Priestmangoode

Page 9: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

“Health Manifesto” Priestmangoode

Images & Concepts from the “Health Manifesto”

Inspiration for low-cost, efficient models: Priestmangoode Hotel Room for ETAP- “Cheap dosen’t mean poor quality”

Sink designed for ETAP Hotel, made from central columnthat features electics, water, internet/phone cabling, withmirror and desk built in.Inspiration for “Smarter, more multifunctional Use of Space”

Inspiration for privacy: design of first class Swiss airline. “Privacy in every space, for every patient”

Page 10: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

Gunether 5 Architects, based in New York, focus on de-signing hospitals using sustainable and local materials. In addition to the added bonus of sustainability, their de-signs are meant to feel more like holistic spas rather then hospitals. Their work includes the maternity floor at Mount Sinai in New York, and The Beatrice Renfield Center for Nursing at Beth Israel. Beth Israel features a quiet, blue, “meditation” room, where patients and family members can sit and relax during the stress of treatment. The interior lobby of the hospital features all sustainable materials, including New York State walnut, copper coil curtains, and an artist commissioned bench. Guenther 5 also worked on the Maimonides Cancer Center in Brook-lyn. The center was the recipient of a VISTA Team Award by The American Society of Healthcare Engineering. The space integrates medicine practice with “compassion-ate and healing design, as well as environmen-tally responsible architecture and interiors”Their Discovery Health Center in Harris, NY, was the second LEED-certified healthcare facility in the US.

Gunether 5

Page 11: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

Discovery Health Center- Harris, New York

all Gunether 5 Images from www.g5arch.com

Page 12: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

Maimonides Cancer Center, Brooklyn

Renfield Center at Beth Israel, NYC

Page 13: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

Priestmangoode “Recovery Lounge” Inspirations

“Rec

over

y Lo

unge

With those prior examples of innovativehospitals, designers must keep looking to the future and keep finding new ways to create the optimal hospital environment.

Page 14: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

At Beth Israel, Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Founda-tion developed a program that was meant to create a healing environment and ease the patient experience. This program features far more then new interior design elements, in that it also focuses on bringing in elements of massage, reiki, yoga, and nutrition therapies to the cancer patients. Donna Karan de-signed a meditative and relaxing space aimed at making the patients feel as comfortable as possible.This was achieved by incorporating ameditation room for the staff, patients, and family mem-bers to use. Patients, as well as staff, reported de-creased stress levels in this healing environment.

Urban Zen Center,photo from urbanzen.org

Page 15: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

These new hospital designs are meant to be more then aesthetically pleasing. They are meant to bring a sense of healing and wellness to the patients. Healing spaces and calming interiors aid in the treatment process, and allow the patient in many cases to even recover at a faster rate. Hospital spaces need to be a design priority. Healthcare should come first in our lives, and in the lives of those we care for- this should begin with good design.

Conclusion

Rachel HappMemorial Sloan- KetteringSpring 2011 Internship

Page 16: White Paper, "Healing Environments in Health Care"

Campbell, Carol Ann. “Health Outcomes Driving New Hospital Design.” The New York Times, 19 May 2009.

Gunether 5 Architectswww.g5arch.com

Patterson, Mark. “Toward a New Vocabulary for Healthcare Design.” Healthcare Design Magazine, February 2009.

Priestmangoode. “The Health Manifesto”. February 2010.

RTKL Architectswww.rtkl.com

Sternberg, Esther M. Healing Spaces. Harvard University Press. 2009.

Urban Zen Foundationwww.urbanzen.og*cover page photo: Urban Zen Collection.

Resources