Connect, care, create: practical framework for physical environment design for person-centred palliative care

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Design
• Environmental Psychology
• Architecture

Background:

• Palliative environments significantly impact patient and staff experiences.
• Designing for person-centred care requires understanding users' subjective needs within these spaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To derive architectural insights from user experiences in palliative settings.
• To provide a practical framework for designing person-centred palliative environments.

Main Methods:

• Ethnographic study with participatory observation in Belgian palliative care unit, day care centre, and hospice.
• Informal conversations and photo-elicitation interviews with residents, families, healthcare professionals, volunteers, and maintenance staff.

Main Results:

• A practical framework of four architectural atmospheres: proximity, support, engagement, and comfort.
• Elaboration on 17 spatial aspects, contextualized with real-life user experiences.

Conclusions:

• The study presents a framework of atmospheres, spatial aspects, and insights for designing palliative environments.
• Advocates for a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to bridge design intentions with user experiences for person-centred care.