Commentaries
Publication: Healthcare Design
Publication Date: October 11, 2013
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The hybrid medical professional—physician-writer, physician-researcher, physician-educator, and the physician-editor—is often mentioned in literature and popular press. As a self-labeled “dochitect,” I propose a new hybrid model, the physician-architect, with the intent of bridging the gap between architecture and medicine through the field of healthcare design.
An architect now working as a resident physician, I maintain two notebooks in my white coat pocket: one for medical facts, a common finding amongst trainees, and the other for design notes and sketches.
Abstract
As the world becomes increasingly connected and information is freely shared, a trend toward interdisciplinary collaboration is taking place in both industry and education. This trend is highlighted by recent collaboration between clinicians and architects in both research and design. In the design of healthcare spaces, architects are working with clinicians and researchers to employ an evidence-based approach to making design decisions.
Rounding is critical to developing integrated care plans, and there is a trend for moving daily rounds from the bedside to conference rooms. This study’s aim was to document staff preferences for the location of rounding practices, and to determine the effect of available space on those preferences.
The 6th Design & Health World Congress & Exhibition, which took place in Singapore in 2009, had the goal of spreading knowledge and fostering dialogue between researchers and practitioners in the interdisciplinary field of healthcare design.