Healthcare facility design is an ever-evolving process. Trends come and go, new evidence-based practices are brought into the spotlight, and facilities are constantly pursuing new ways to stand out from the competition. A lot can change in a year, which is why we are beginning 2019 by looking at the top healthcare facility design trends featured by hospitals last year.

Here are a few of the things designers and architects were focused on in 2018.

Controlling Acoustics 

Noise interruptions are among the most common complaints patients have, and for good reason. Hospitals are noisy environments, and it's largely due to their design. Sound easily reflects off hard surfaces like walls, floors and ceilings, which is why empty rooms create a loud echo. For hospitals, this is a large concern when it comes to patient comfort. Noise wasn't as large a problem decades ago because hospitals frequently used carpet (which dampens sound) as a flooring option in hallways, but this led to an increased growth in microorganisms and bacteria. As infection control became more of a concern, carpets were replaced with hard, easy-to-clean floor tiles. 

To limit noise and create a less stressful environment, designers are taking patient room and hallway acoustics into account, particularly design elements that dampen sound. These include sound dampening ceiling tiles, acoustic wall panels and other sound dampening and absorbing design elements. There are even flooring products that can help reduce noise levels throughout a facility.

Easier Cleaning and Infection Control 

It's estimated that about 2 million people obtain infections during their time in the hospital every year. Infection control and equipment/environment cleanability has become a major concern for facilities, leading architects to take into account how easy it is to clean a space when creating their designs.

What makes something difficult to clean? It's hard to clean and disinfect small spaces, nooks, crannies and other design elements within a room that are not a flat surface. Take, for example, something as simple as the blinds in a patient room. Many hospital employees have reported that it is much harder to clean the horizontal slats in venetian blinds because of all the surface area that is present within the small spaces that separate the flats.

This is the reason why many patient room designers have been opting for roller shades, which are much easier to keep clean and disinfect. It's also the reason why many hospital are switching to glass surface on equipment like patient room boards. Glass boards and other glass surfaces are very non-porous, meaning they do not trap or hold onto bacteria as easily as other types of surface. These types of whiteboards are far easier to keep clean and free of bacteria. 

Giving Patients Control

Patient rooms are an integral part of every patient's experience with a healthcare facility, and with the increasing importance of HCAHPS scores in reimbursements for hospitals, designing for the patient experience has sprung to the forefront of any other trend. While creating an environment that is comfortable and relaxing makes for a more pleasant place for patients and their families to stay, what patients want more than anything is control.

When a patient is placed in an unfamiliar place and faced with an unfamiliar disease or condition, control over their surroundings is vitally important. Patients aren't always in control of their health, so they need the ability to control anything and everything around them. Smart patient room design grants them this ability. Even if it only means giving them control of the small details, patients appreciate being able to control:

• Their privacy (via closed doors, curtains, etc.)
• Window blinds
• Televisions
• Room temperature
• Lighting
• Noise levels
• Access to phones and other lines of external communication

The more that is placed within the reach of the patient, the more they will feel in control of their situation, and the happier they will be.

Looking Ahead

2019 is here, and VividBoard is excited to see what new innovations in hospital design come out of new evidence based practices. As always, we will continue to improve the patient-doctor communication process by evolving our line of custom whiteboards. Ready to start customizing your whiteboard solution? Contact VividBoard today.