[Evidence-based design accreditation and certification program for healthcare architecture reaches Spain]

EDAC stands for Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification and identifies individuals able to apply the evidence-based design process for healthcare buildings. This process consists of basing design decisions on credible research to achieve the best possible outcomes. What differentiates this design process from others is its emphasis on using research both to inform a priori and to evaluate a posteriori design decision. The evidence-based design term appeared printed for the first time in 2000 but its origins date back to three key factors that happened years before: i) the evidence-based medicine movement, ii) the patientcentred care movement and, iii) a published paper that related a design strategy (the windows of the hospitalisation patient bedroom) with the recovery process of the patients. This scientific link between design and clinical outcomes not only evidenced the potential of architectural design on influencing patients' recovery but also the financial impact for the healthcare institutions. While in other countries evaluation mechanisms are already in place to improve the efficiency and performance of healthcare buildings, in Spain only one person has obtained the EDAC program. To what extent can this knowledge be incorporated into the Spanish design process for healthcare buildings and will this influence architects to confront their social responsibility with the healthcare system?