Improving Healthcare Through Evidence Based Design

By Brian Hazelwood
Marketing Manager, Medical Division

Once viewed as an “unconventional approach” to healthcare facility design just a few short years ago, evidence based design (EBD) has quickly become a widely accepted approach to hospital design. As healthcare continues to evolve into a value-based care model, there is growing interest in extending the approach beyond delivery of services and treatment decision-making to other areas of healthcare, including clinics and exam rooms.

The Midmark team recently participated in this year’s Healthcare Design Expo and Conference, which educates the Architecture and Design community on how the design of medical environments can impact the safety and operations, as well as the clinical outcomes, of healthcare facilities.

EBD was a big focus at the show. Conference attendees learned how EBD is a critical tool when planning clinical spaces that can help healthcare organizations and their design partners create an environment that will help them achieve better outcomes for the patient. Whether that project is a hospital, a large practice, or even just the interior upgrade of a small clinic, taking an EBD approach can help organizations create an environment conducive to achieving better outcomes.

An EBD approach can provide the following benefits in ambulatory care:

1. Improve patient and staff engagement and satisfaction.

   Choosing the right equipment can help clinicians maintain eye contact with the patient while in the exam room. With the use of electronic medical records (EMRs) and need for computers in the exam room, this is one important way to keep the focus on the patient and make them feel that their needs are important and being heard. “Live Design” exam room design software can help layout exam spaces to focus on flow and engagement. Use of mobile/ergonomic products and digital diagnostics that feed into EMRs improves efficiency and increases engagement and patient satisfaction.

    

2. Enhance the caregiver experience.

   Engaged and healthy caregivers are not only important to patient outcomes, but they are the lifeblood of any clinical setting. In today’s competitive world, keeping caregivers happy and injury free is more important than ever. For instance, caregivers that use poorly designed workstations can have increased instances of fatigue injury, particularly injury to the wrist, back, arms and shoulders. Using ergonomic work products designed to improve efficiency and safety can help caregivers to be healthier and more engaged in their work.

    

3. Increase cost savings for clinics.

   Well-designed healthcare environments have a cost savings component that can help the clinic’s bottom line so that it can offer more to patients. Real-time locating system (RTLS) technology can reduce patient wait times and increase staff productivity by ensuring that staff know the whereabouts of their patients, colleagues and equipment, thereby simplifying care coordination and communication. RTLS real-time data and historical metrics can provide the operational intelligence to clinic managers to utilize clinical space effectively and add additional patients or caregivers to the practice when needed.

Midmark has an entire line of products designed around the needs of the ambulatory outpatient clinic. Our goal is to help clinics provide a better care experience and achieve better health outcomes through technology, products, design and project management. At the show we featured:

• Casework cabinetry designed for durability, ergonomics and safety, featuring mobile workstations and treatment carts that are growing in use in the exam room.
• Exam and procedure room chairs that include features such as height adjustment and adjustable arm features for ADA compliance and allow for proper blood pressure readings (Better BP).
• Digital diagnostics and diagnostic instruments that integrate into EMRs.
• RTLS software for locating patients, staff and equipment in the clinical environment, increasing efficiency and allowing for long-term route mapping for continuous improvement activities.

Midmark has over a decade of clinic and exam room design experience. The intersection of healthcare and design has become a major priority for the company. With a team of EDAC-certified (Evidence Based Design Accreditation and Certification) designers and planners, we can help manage your project from the initial design process to the finished installation and beyond.

To learn more about taking an EBD approach to your healthcare environment, read our whitepaper:

https://www.midmark.com/docs/default-source/resource-library/medical/031950_medicalconstruction_whitepaper_fin2.pdf?sfvrsn=a8279d20_2