Building patient-centeredness: hospital design as an interpretive act

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Health and Illness
• Health Services Research
• Architectural Design

Background:

• Hospital design reflects societal values, influencing perceptions of illness, care, and provider roles.
• Contemporary healthcare trends like consumerism, business management, and technology impact hospital architecture.
• Patient-centeredness is a key concept influencing modern healthcare facility design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of patient-centeredness on the design of a new hospital in the USA.
• To understand how patient-centeredness guides decisions regarding space, people, and processes in hospital environments.
• To explore the specific interpretation of patient-centeredness implemented in a new hospital's design and operational strategies.

Main Methods:

• Thematic content analysis of 35 interviews with hospital planners, administrators, and designers.
• Analysis of public documents related to the new hospital's design.
• Examination of the implementation of patient-centeredness through specific design strategies.

Main Results:

• Patient-centeredness served as a guiding principle for fundamental design decisions in the new hospital.
• Key implementation strategies included an onstage/offstage layout, a concierge patient approach, and scripted communication.
• The design and management approach may challenge traditional medical professional roles and alter the patient's experience of care.

Conclusions:

• The interpretation of patient-centeredness in this hospital design may position medical care as a consumer product.
• This approach could potentially distance patients from the realities of medical treatment.
• Further empirical research is needed to understand the long-term implications of such patient-centered hospital designs on medical practice and patient outcomes.