Although hospitals are places designed to diagnose, treat and heal illness, often the process of hospitalization itself causes a cascade of physiologic decline. Hospitalization is a major risk factor for older patients and is often followed by an irreversible deterioration in functional status. The negative effects begin immediately upon admission and they progress rapidly, often by the second day. A high percentage of hospitalized elderly patients end up being discharged to nursing homes, never to return to their homes or communities. What are the implications for designers who plan the healthcare campus?

Follow the process of hospitalization from the initial emergency department assessment through to discharge planning. Understand the clinical decision processes which go into making key triage decisions that determine where patients will go within the hospital. Vital medical spaces within the acute care setting are reviewed, along with ways in which hospital layout and room design can assist in preventing some of the hazards associated with the healthcare setting.

What is Pecha Kucha?  It is an informal, energetic, creative, short format presentation of 20 slides at 20 seconds per slide.

Click to hear dochitect’s Pecha Kucha discussion on the hazards of hospitalization.