Designing effective clinical education spaces: A scoping review

Clinical education in health facilities is critical for health professional student learning. However, consideration of health professional students' learning when designing and building hospitals appears to be neglected. Evidence-based health facility design may encourage student learning and add value to the investment in facilities. We ask, 'What does the literature say about the consideration of health professional students' education when designing health facilities?'

We developed a scoping review protocol following Arksey and O'Malley's Guidelines. Our search strategy employed the following concepts: Health Facilities, Facility design, Health professional students, Learning and teaching and health professional education. Forty articles were identified for inclusion. Databases comprised Medline, Art and Architecture Archive, Avery Index to Architecture and Periodicals (EBSCO), CINAHL, ERIC, Scopus, Proquest Central and Web of Science.

Articles were published between 1963 and 2023. There was a range of publication types originating mostly from North America and the United Kingdom (UK). Only four articles describe original research. Medical students are the most reported individual student group. Links are made between principles of learning and the built environment (45% of articles). Recognised features supporting learning include floor space, various building elements and their attributes, environmental features and furniture, fittings and equipment. Evaluation is lacking, and building codes and standards are noted in only three publications.

The review reveals a scarcity of published evidence documenting how health professional student learning is considered in health facility design. While design professionals may address these needs in practice, the lack of accessible literature limits evidence-based approaches. Opportunities exist for educators and administrators to advocate for the inclusion of students and their learning needs in collaboration with colleagues from other disciplines such as architecture and design. Documenting and publishing these collaborations will strengthen the evidence base, ensuring learning is more intentionally integrated in clinical settings.