Rethinking Circular Hospital Design: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Architecture
• Hospital Design Innovation
• Building Engineering

Background:

• Most hospitals utilize rectangular designs, with limited exploration of circular or elliptical structures.
• The Nightingale ward, a standard rectangular nursing unit, has historically dominated hospital layouts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-examine circular hospital building designs and understand their limited prevalence.
• To compare the advantages and disadvantages of circular versus shaped hospital buildings.
• To propose an economical, stable, and efficient circular hospital design concept using modern technology.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search using MeSH terms like "Circular Hospital" and "Hospital Design" across major databases.
• Screening 19 records from 96,210 identified studies based on inclusion criteria for circular building/hospital design.
• Analysis of pros and cons of circular hospital designs, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines.

Main Results:

• Circular hospital design concepts date back, with notable advancements in the 1960s, 1980s, and 2015.
• Advantages include enhanced visibility, reduced staff travel, cost-effectiveness, improved natural light/ventilation, and increased bed head space.
• Key limitations identified are central core area wastage and construction complexity, with limited supporting literature.

Conclusions:

• Circular hospital designs present significant potential benefits for operational efficiency and patient care.
• Modern construction technologies and design concepts, such as central elevators and integrated systems, can mitigate the drawbacks of circular designs.
• Further investigation and application of these advancements can lead to more economical, stable, and efficient circular hospitals.