Improving the Patient Experience through Facilities Planning and Desig

The objective of the study is to analyze the effect on patients by improving facilities planning and design within the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is continuously identifying new ways to best deliver care to patients. Furthermore, hospitals strive to improve patient outcomes at the lowest cost possible. One often overlooked strategy to achieve this goal is through facilities planning and design. The question becomes how does the healthcare industry enhance facilities planning to improve the patient's experience? Literature about current and emerging trends in the healthcare industry are analyzed for planning and allocating space with the intention to determine how it affects the patient. The research looks to determine if hospitals can create spaces that realize fewer infections, along with a reduction in patient falls, medical errors and operating costs. The research also looks at improving space layouts to increase staff productivity and improve staff communication. Based on the information discovered during the literature review, there is not a single strategy that fits all situations. For this reason, healthcare organizations need to enhance facilities planning by starting with a strategic planning process that incorporates facilities planning and design as a critical factor for the effective operation of the hospital. Furthermore, facilities planning needs to include processes such as Evidence Based Design (EBD) to develop strategies for each specific situation.