Nothing stays the same in health care. Change is the only constant in today's hospital, not only in terms of the physical plant but the way it's run. Your solutions must accommodate an extremely diverse patient base, with wide variations in age, body size, language, cognition, physical debility, and medical needs. In addition, the thicket of regional, state and national codes may limit design choices, including materials specified. Despite these challenges, your first priority should be the patient's comfort and well-being.
Patients often are a captive and debilitated audience, powerless to control their environment.
Your job will be to act on their behalf, introducing solutions that reduce the risk of infection and put the control of the healing process back in their hands. Design that increases the patient's environmental control and access to natural stimuli, to nurses stations and to medical facts and records is key. Provide for family and visitors. People heal faster with the support of loved ones. Comfortable furniture that accommodates overnight visitors without monopolizing floor space lets family members relieve professional staff of some routine items of patient care.