Healthcare architects' professional autonomy: interview case studies

The purpose of this project was to understand the nature of an architect's professional power. The central questions were: (1) What is the impact of specialized knowledge on the professional autonomy of architects in general? and (2) What are the relationships between task complexity, specialized knowledge, and the professional autonomy of healthcare architects in particular? To answer these questions, this research utilized interviews and focus groups. Focus groups provided in-depth knowledge on a sub-question: How do real-world situations restrict or reinforce the professional autonomy of healthcare architects? The interviews on this sub-question were project-specific to help gain an understanding of the impact that healthcare design complexity and research utilization have on practice and professional autonomy. Two main relationships were discovered from the interviews and focus groups. One was the relationship between the context of healthcare design complexity and the culture of healthcare design practice. The other was the relationship between changing professional attitudes and the consequences of changes in the profession.