Toward Patient-Centered Hospital Design: What Can Airports Teach Us?
Authors: Samyukta Mullangi, Andrew M. Ibrahim, Vineet Chopra
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Ideas and Opinions4 July 2017Toward Patient-Centered Hospital Design: What Can Airports Teach Us?Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, Andrew M. Ibrahim, MD, MSc, and Vineet Chopra, MD, MScSamyukta Mullangi, MD, MBAFrom Michigan Medicine and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and American Institute of Architects, Washington DC., Andrew M. Ibrahim, MD, MScFrom Michigan Medicine and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and American Institute of Architects, Washington DC., and Vineet Chopra, MD, MScFrom Michigan Medicine and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and American Institute of Architects, Washington DC.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M17-0484 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Recent media comparisons of New York's LaGuardia Airport to a "third-world country" have led to renewed focus on the aging aviation infrastructure in the United States. However, travelers' complaints about long lines, delays, and unexpected expenses may sound familiar to another group of consumers: patients seeking medical care at hospitals across the nation.Consider the analogy for a moment: Like airports, hospitals are distinct physical spaces where the experience of patients often comprises predictable but mundane processes. Just as travelers move through ticketing, luggage check-in, and security screening before arriving at a boarding gate, patients navigate a maze of office ...References1. Ibrahim AM, Dimick JB, Joseph A. Building a better operating room: views from surgery and architecture. Ann Surg. 2017;265:34-36. [PMID: 27163950] doi:10.1097/SLA.0000000000001777 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Sisson P. Terminal illness: why airport design is so bad, and how to fix it. Curbed. 10 June 2016. Accessed at www.curbed.com/2016/6/10/11904834/airport-design-travel-airline-tsa on 15 January 2017. Google Scholar3. McMahon LF, Tipirneni R, Chopra V. Health system loyalty programs: an innovation in customer care and service. JAMA. 2016;315:863-4. [PMID: 26934255] doi:10.1001/jama.2015.19463 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Hospitals take design cues from malls, airports. The Advisory Board Company. 6 February 2014. Accessed at www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2014/02/06/hospitals-take-design-cues-from-malls-airports on 15 January 2017. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Michigan Medicine and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and American Institute of Architects, Washington DC.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M17-0484.Corresponding Author: Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16 #432W, Ann Arbor, MI 48015; e-mail, [email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Mullangi: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, 3116 Taubman Center SPC 5368, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.Dr. Ibrahim: Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Avenue, Building 10–G016, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.Dr. Chopra: 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16 #432W, Ann Arbor, MI 48015.Author Contributions: Conception and design: S. Mullangi, A.M. Ibrahim, V. Chopra.Drafting of the article: S. Mullangi, A.M. Ibrahim, V. Chopra.Critical revision for important intellectual content: S. Mullangi, A.M. Ibrahim, V. Chopra.Final approval of the article: S. Mullangi, A.M. Ibrahim, V. Chopra.Administrative, technical, or logistic support: V. Chopra.This article was published at Annals.org on 30 May 2017. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 4 July 2017Volume 167, Issue 1Page: 48-49KeywordsAgingDisclosureEmergency departmentHealth careHealth care policyHereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancerPatient Protection and Affordable Care ActPatientsResearch laboratoriesRunning ePublished: 30 May 2017 Issue Published: 4 July 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...