A study on the necessity of medical facilities safety design adoption

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the requirements of the introduction of a safety design and certification system for medical facilities. [Subjects] A survey was carried out of one hundred nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists from May to August in 2012. [Methods] The survey was conducted after giving subjects some information about safety design. [Results] The participants were aware of the need for establishing a safety design certification system. Total responses to services, facilities and space were analyzed in order to evaluate the priorities of safety, user characteristics, functionality, convenience and aesthetics. Regarding the application of a safety design certification system to services, items were prioritized in the order of children's items, household supplies and hospital supplies. For facilities, the priorities were, living space, social welfare and medical facilities; space, they were public and transportation-related places. The requirements for operating a safety design system were in order development of: highly skilled manpower, the legal system, educational promotion and qualifying facilities. [Conclusion] In conclusion, in order to implement safety design in medical facilities, a safety design certification system should be introduced first, and to do this a systematic and comprehensive study is needed.