Article Evidence-Based Design for Healthcare

What is Evidence-Based Design?

The Center for Health Design (CHD) defines EBD as “the deliberate attempt to base building decisions on the best available research evidence with the goal of improving outcomes and of continuing to monitor the success or failure for subsequent decision-making.”

Targeting specific improvements – implementing the plan – measuring the results. That simple formula has yielded a body of evidence that suggests changes to the physical environment can reduce staff stress and fatigue and increase effectiveness; improve patient safety; reduce patient stress; and improve overall healthcare quality. All of these advantages can help shorten the length of patient stay, reduce the financial burden of the patient, and improve organizational effectiveness for the facility. Doctors, therapists, nurses, health facility maintenance professionals, administrators – many have embraced EBD. This same approach is being applied today to interior design for health facilities. Here are the most current design trends we’re seeing:

Natural Elements Promote Healing

One of the major trends in EBD is providing access to nature and the use of natural elements to help promote healing. This concept extends from healing gardens and expansive views to material finishes that mimic natural wood and stone. Research proves this is beneficial to healing. The healthcare industry is moving away from its long-employed institutional look and feel to warm, home-like design. This allows the patients, families and visitors to feel safer and more focused on recovery.

Good Way-Finding Design Reduces Stress; Increases Safety

Designers have long understood the potential for addressing way finding with design elements: knowing where you are and knowing how to get where you’re going helps lower stress. Doing so with any style you choose for your hospital interiors is a bit harder. That’s where we come in. Our colors, styles and flooring materials provide you with an ideal palette of options, to solve a variety of problems.

Patient Scores Improve With Perceived Cleanliness

We are all familiar with the surveys that hospitals conduct with patients after their stay, geared toward discovering what is working — and what isn’t — from the patient’s perspective. These surveys often measure the patient’s perception of cleanliness. Designers are choosing floors like our Striations BBT and Natural Creations with Diamond 10 Technology for ease of maintenance.