Consumer choice is becoming a driving force in the healthcare market. The Center for Health Design, a non-profit, non-membership organization based in Lafayette, California, asked the Picker Institute of Boston to conduct research on consumer attitudes towards existing healthcare facilities in order to provide information for desirable improvements in design. The Picker Institute, a leader in assessing patient attitudes towards healthcare since 1987, is a non-profit affiliate of CareGroup.
The Picker Institute collected data over a two-year period by a variety of methods including observation, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The report resulted in a Health Care Design Action Kit, one component of which is a checklist of the eight elements that matter the most to patients and their families in a healthcare facility. Employing a five-point rating scale, this tool can help executives, managers, and design professionals assess the environment of current care settings. It can also enhance discussion concerning hospital renovations and building new facilities.
Below is a summarized checklist for the elements of a built environment that matter most to patients and their families:
- Promotes connection to facility staff
- Conducive to patient well-being and comfort
- Accessible and convenient
- Private and confidential
- Shows care for patient’s family, including chapels and overnight accommodations
- Shows consideration of patient impairments
- Facilitates connection to nature and outside world
- Secure and safe
The Health Care Action Kit, as well as the complete checklist, can be purchased at www.picker.org or by calling 617/667-2388.
Based on a report from Facilities Design & Management
