Architects are rethinking the way they design hospitals as providers focus on challenges like improving efficiency and preventing medical errors. Innovations like no-slip floors and glass walls are improving safety and allowing staff to better monitor patients. The Wall Street Journal looks at the case of St. Joseph's Hospital in West Bend, Wisconsin, which hired Nashville's Gresham Smith and Partners to study the question of how a safer hospital could be built. The hospital also arranged a hospital safety design summit attended by safety experts from the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins. The result? New room layouts are standardized, meaning doctors and staff can find what they need quickly. Nurse stations are strategically positioned with clear lines of sight to patient rooms. Rooms use simulated natural lighting to make diagnosis easier and improve the patient environment.
- read this Wall Street Journal article (sub. req.)