Wake
Forest:
HKS/
Blake
Marvin;
Eskenazi:
Timothy
Hursley
As healthcare continues its shift to a payment for value
reimbursement model (versus
traditional fee for transaction)
and to outpatient ambulatory
care environments (versus
traditional inpatient care), the
need for hospitals to control
costs, improve environmental
quality and increase patient
satisfaction has never been more
important.
Integrating these diverse
needs into both inpatient and
outpatient healthcare settings, accommodating new work
processes, technologies and evoking comfort for all patients
are among hospitals' top priorities.
Recent projects illustrate furniture plays a key role in
Trends in healthcare furniture
Creature Comforts
providing fl exible facility solutions by meeting
key patient, visitor and
staf needs, while
avoiding potential
built-in obsolescence.
Waiting areas
Environments that
provide comfort not only
make the patient feel
better by reducing stress,
but also help them feel
nurtured, promoting
positive changes in perception and satisfaction.
In all settings, the waiting experience forms fi rst
impressions, as patients and families must often
wait for extended periods.
Spotlight
furniture & casework
WORTHY OF THE WAIT
Top: The outpatient
waiting area at Wake
Forest Cancer Center
offers varying types of
waiting and seating
options for patients
and families, including
an individual
touchdown area.
Right: This inpatient
waiting area at Eskenazi
Hospital provides
different types and
heights of seating.
Wider, heavy-duty,
two-seat furniture units
are combined with
single-seat units. The
area also includes
integrated technology
components.
BY PATRICK SCHULTZ, ANA PINTO-ALEXANDER & DEBRA KLIMENKO
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Medical Construction & Design | JA N UA RY/ F EBRUA RY 2015 | MCDM AG.COM