At a glance
An intelligent and purposefully designed clinical environment may be the difference between life and death. A high performing team requires a highly functional space. Our work with NORR spans the healthcare delivery spectrum from acute care hospitals to outpatient elective surgical centres. The immersive design process combines evidence-based design principles and true-to-life simulations to help create customized, highly functional clinical spaces that ensure no patient is the first test of the new clinical environment.
The Challenge
Would you ever drive a car that had not been crash tested? Why would we expect patients to be the test care for a new clinical space? Poor design in healthcare is common. Design flaws are more than simple nuisances but rather require constant improvised or ad hoc work-around solutions that expose patients and provides to risks and safety hazards. Leaving changes until the project is completed compounds costs resulting in a space that is overbudget and Engagement in the design process can be challenging and looking at blueprints of a clinical space is not intuitive for clinicians. Using immersive design we make the system and the space the unit of analysis, offering healthcare teams a focused opportunity to co-create a space that supports high quality care.
What We Did
- Table top simulations: Small scale replica of the clinical space to evaluate workflows, systems and spaces, contributing to a macro-understanding of the physical space.
- Mock-up simulations: Replica of the clinical environment to evaluate personnel movement, equipment location and clinical care within a space similar or identical in size to the final product.
- In situ simulations: simulations within the authentic clinical environment to understand how real teams interact with the space and equipment before patient care begins.
- VR simulation: Clinicians perform tasks and work within a VR version of the clinical environments, a highly efficient technique to understand user needs early in the design process.
The Impact
The immersive design process has revolutionized healthcare design through deeply understanding the needs of clinicians and patients alike. We bring architects, contractors, clinicians and patients together to co-create spaces that harmonize functionality with high quality care.
Across a range of projects we’ve achieved:
- Cost savings of 18% on capital projects
- Accelerated project timelines while increasing patient safety
- Identified multiple latent safety threats with >80% addressed in future designs
- Followed a process that offers an ROI of 500-2500% on future renovation costs/change orders
- Increased clinician satisfaction, a key factor for reducing burnout and staff turnover
