New Healthcare Construction Trends You Need To Know About Posted by Best Access Doors - Canada on 3rd Apr 2024
The healthcare landscape is constantly evolving, and with it, the way healthcare facilities are designed and built. Healthcare construction trends prioritizing adaptability, sustainability, and efficiency are emerging while creating a more patient-centered experience.
In construction, innovative trends are emerging to meet the evolving needs of patients, providers, and stakeholders. Let's explore some of the new healthcare construction trends that are shaping the future of healthcare facility design.
Patient-Centered Design
Gone are the days of sterile, clinical environments. Today, healthcare facilities are designed to be warm and welcoming and promote healing. This holistic strategy includes incorporating natural light, soothing colors, and comfortable furnishings to create a more hotel-like atmosphere. Additionally, professionals are designing patient rooms to feel more like private spaces, with features like individual bathrooms and living areas.
This trend encompasses elements such as abundant natural light, soothing color schemes, and easily accessible amenities. Patient rooms are designed with flexibility in mind, allowing for personalized care and ensuring privacy when needed. Additionally, communal spaces are incorporated to encourage patient social interaction, fostering a sense of community and support.
Many hospitals are now incorporating patient-centered design principles into their facilities. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) - McCain Complex Care and Recovery Building in Toronto, Ontario, features private rooms with ample natural light and views of nature, fostering a sense of calm and well-being for patients. Secure outdoor spaces and access to therapeutic art programs also contribute to the building's patient-centered design.
Another example is The Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus, also in Ontario, prioritizes patient comfort and information access by providing private rooms with large windows, family-friendly waiting areas, and tablets for patients to use. Further west, the Kelowna General Hospital – Patient Care Tower in Kelowna, British Columbia, showcases patient-centered design through its focus on single-patient rooms with private bathrooms and an emphasis on natural light and scenic views. Amenities like a rooftop garden and family lounge further enhance the patient experience.
Research suggests that a safe and comfortable environment can lead to faster healing and recovery. Reduced stress levels can improve sleep quality, immune function, and overall well-being, aiding the body's natural healing processes. Patient-centered design goes a long way in ensuring the most optimal conditions for a speedy recovery.
Advanced Technology Integration
COVID-19 had a revolutionary impact on the healthcare industry, forcing healthcare professionals to adapt to social distancing, overcrowded treatment rooms, and short staffing. Telehealth, or the provisioning of remote healthcare utilizing telecommunications technology, was the solution—and it has been so effective that it is here to stay.
Technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing patient care and treatment outcomes. Telehealth makes distance a non-factor while ensuring efficiency for more patient interactions and assistance in a cost-effective manner.Healthcare construction projects increasingly incorporate state-of-the-art technologies such as telemedicine capabilities, electronic health records (EHR) systems, and remote monitoring devices. Telehealth allows for easy and seamless remote healthcare.
These innovations facilitate seamless communication between healthcare providers and patients, enabling timely interventions and personalized care plans. With limitations on in-person visits, remote patient monitoring tools have gained prominence. These tools allowed healthcare providers to track vitals and health data remotely, enabling care for patients recovering at home.
More rooms are equipped with necessary technology like high-definition cameras, microphones, and appropriate lighting for effectively conducting virtual consultations. They are often designed with privacy and soundproofing in mind to ensure confidentiality during patient interactions.
Sustainability is at the Centre
With Canada's commitment to minimizing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, sustainable design is at the forefront of every project—and the healthcare industry is no exception. The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care (CCGHC) is a non-profit organization whose stated objective is to promote sustainability in the healthcare sector by providing resources, collaborating with stakeholders, and raising awareness. They advocate for resource conservation, pollution prevention, and effective environmental management within healthcare systems.
The CCGHC has developed the industry's only scorecard to help hospitals track their environmental performance and identify areas for improvement, potentially leading to upgrades and renovations that incorporate sustainable design elements. The CCGHC's efforts, in addition to LEED Certification standards, present comprehensive guidelines for builders and architects within the industry to ensure green and sustainable building practices.
Using sustainable products in the design and construction phases also involves using the right, sustainable materials, from natural insulation materials to the access solutions that you choose for maintenance, installations, inspections, and repairs. Our BAC-UAP-SS Universal Access Panel in Stainless Steel is your ideal companion for countless applications—from concealing plumbing and electrical lines in hospitals and clinics to accessing inspection points.
As a stainless-steel access panel, BAC-UAP-SS excels in sanitary and aseptic environments, where germ limitation is an essential requirement—making it ideal for inclusion in all areas of both existing and new facilities. This model is also sustainably sourced, contributing valuable LEED credits to your project, comprising 18.74% pre-consumer and 66.62% post-consumer recycled content.
BAC-UAP-SS provides complete peace of mind in terms of easy, dependable, and consistent access while also contributing to a sustainable, CCGHC-approved design.
A Healthier Future for All
As the healthcare sector continues to evolve amidst unprecedented challenges, understanding and embracing these emerging construction trends is paramount for industry leaders. By embracing these innovative trends, from sustainable materials to telehealth integration, the future of healthcare construction is poised to create more patient-centered, efficient, and environmentally friendly spaces that cater to the ever-changing needs of the healthcare industry and the communities it serves.
Collaboration with design and construction partners is essential in navigating these trends effectively, ensuring that healthcare facilities are equipped to meet the evolving needs of patients and providers alike. Embracing these new trends represents not just a response to immediate challenges but a proactive step toward shaping the future of healthcare construction.
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