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Related Experiment Videos

Therapy by design: evaluating the UK hospital building program.

Wil Gesler1, Morag Bell, Sarah Curtis

  • 1Department of Geography, University of North Carolina, CB# 3220, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3220, USA. wgesler@email.unc.edu

Health & Place
|March 17, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Hospital design in the UK, influenced by the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), should prioritize therapeutic environments. Current designs often neglect patient well-being, necessitating a focus on clinical efficiency, community integration, accessibility, and staff/patient welfare.

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Area of Science:

  • Healthcare Architecture
  • Health Geography
  • Environmental Psychology

Background:

  • The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) has spurred a re-evaluation of hospital design in the UK.
  • Hospitals are increasingly viewed as 'therapeutic environments,' influencing patient recovery and healing.
  • Existing 'expert' knowledge in hospital design has often failed to create truly benign healing settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically examine the role of hospital design in promoting patient recovery and well-being.
  • To explore four key emerging principles for contemporary hospital design: clinical efficiency, community integration, accessibility, and staff/patient well-being.
  • To highlight the importance of spatial considerations in hospital environments.

Main Methods:

  • Critical analysis of current literature and debates on hospital design in the UK.

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  • Examination of the influence of 'expert' knowledge on architectural outcomes.
  • Conceptual exploration of the 'real and imagined spatiality' of hospital environments.

    • Main Results:

    • Despite renewed interest, UK hospitals designed under PFI initiatives frequently fall short of providing optimal therapeutic settings.
    • Four key, often competing, ideals for hospital design have emerged: clinical efficiency, community integration, public accessibility, and enhanced well-being.
    • Achieving these goals requires a nuanced understanding of the physical and psychological impact of hospital spatial design.

    Conclusions:

    • There is a critical need to integrate therapeutic considerations into the spatial design of hospitals.
    • Health geographers can play a vital role in shaping policy and practice for PFI hospital design.
    • Future hospital design must balance clinical functionality with the creation of supportive and healing environments.