Creating the optimal workspace for hospital staff using human centred design

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Human Factors Engineering
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Hospitals require efficient non-clinical workspaces to support diverse staff roles.
• Existing workspace solutions often fail to meet the complex needs of medical, nursing, allied health, and administrative personnel.
• Optimizing the non-clinical environment is crucial for staff well-being and operational efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop optimal non-clinical workspace solutions for approximately 450 hospital staff across 11 departments.
• To implement a Human-Centered Design process to ensure functional and equitable workspace design.
• To create a replicable blueprint for workspace redesign in healthcare institutions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Human-Centered Design (HCD) process with 'Hear, Create, and Deliver' stages.
• Employed observations, contextual inquiry, and role-specific workshops to understand staff needs and behaviors.
• Conducted co-design workshops for concept exploration and prototype testing with extensive employee engagement.

Main Results:

• An innovative workspace solution was developed, addressing the diverse functional needs of various staff groups.
• The design successfully incorporated space constraints and prioritized equity among different departments.
• Extensive employee engagement ensured the final solution met practical workspace requirements.

Conclusions:

• The expert-led Human-Centered Design process proved effective in creating successful workspace solutions.
• Engaging employees throughout the design process is critical for meeting diverse needs and ensuring buy-in.
• This project offers a successful blueprint for other institutions facing similar workspace design challenges.