Dochitect
Menu
  • Home
  • Dochitect Bio
  • The Physician-Architect Model
  • Articles & Publications
  • Presentations
  • In the News
  • Contact

The Physician-Architect Model

Still needed is a model for collaboration between fields, such that designers can learn from the medical field and vice versa, further evolving the practice experience. High performance teams will likely lead the future of innovative healthcare solutions.

dochitect white coat image registered_largeThe DOCHITECT model represents a unique opportunity for architects to experience the world of medicine from a perspective that is typically hidden. Designers can walk the halls, shadow individuals as they go about their daily routines, talk to physicians and other clinicians, but often it can be challenging to learn the intricacies of a particular profession and its practice conventions. For example, the art of the physical examination is taught with the convention of performing the exam from the right-hand side of the patient. However, I have often entered clinic rooms to find the right side of the examining table is against a wall and I cannot gain access to the patient as I was trained. Informed observations conveyed through diary-style narratives and practice anecdotes can benefit the design process and work environment.

For clinicians, the field of Evidence-Based Design (EBD) provides a familiar methodology of evidence-based practice. The advent of EBD promotes interdisciplinary communication, as clinicians are accustomed to reading and applying research literature in their daily practice. Architects can inform the clinician by promoting an awareness of their physical surroundings and the impact on physical health and well-being. The field of medicine has become the art of managing extreme complexity and the ultra-specialization has led to the need for a collaborative environment. We are moving towards an interdisciplinary model where the physician is becoming less of a director in a patient’s evaluation and treatment and more of a coordinator with the multidisciplinary team to help patients monitor their health. This complexity in care has encouraged alternative considerations for improved physiologic responses, prompting my clinical colleagues to consider architectural design and the existing evidence in their plans of care and measurement of clinical outcomes.

medical-planningThe importance of design can also be emphasized to clinicians as a component of quality improvement and health system change, areas currently with much attention and focus. Just as an architect’s role extends beyond the client to fellow professionals, the profession and society as a whole, so too does the physician’s duty to our patients and the overall health of the population. I believe that the growing field of healthcare design sends a clear message that there is a desire and a mechanism for positive change and, given the proper input, architects can help.

img_1056

New Book from Dochitect

The Dochitect’s Journal: A collection of writings on the intersection of Medicine and Architecture

Find out more here.

Search

Recent Articles/Publications

  • Hastings Center Bioethics Forum: The Bioethics of Built Health Care Spaces

    January 13, 2021
  • How will COVID-19 Change Healthcare Design?

    January 1, 2021
  • JHD Editorial – Widening the lens: Clinical perspectives on design thinking for public health

    November 25, 2020

Recent Presentations

  • Tulane School of Medicine: Architectural Design as a Determinant of Health

    January 14, 2021
  • AWMA Thinking Beyond the White Coat: Medical Hybrid Careers

    January 9, 2021
  • LiftOff 2020: Health Equity by Design

    December 15, 2020

Publication Type

  • Blog Post
  • Book
  • Book Chapter
  • Book Review
  • Commentaries
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Peer-Reviewed Design Guidelines
  • Peer-Reviewed Publications

Presentation Type

  • Conference Presentations
  • Keynote Presentations
  • Lectures
  • Panel Discussions
  • Podcasts
  • Webinars

Design Topics

  • Commentaries & Event Reviews
  • Design for Clinical Staff
  • Design for Critical Care
  • Design for Geriatrics
  • Design for Infection Control
  • Design for Palliative Care
  • Design for Patient Safety
  • Design for Resiliency
  • Dochitect in the News
  • Evidence-Based Design
  • Health Design & Ethics
  • The Physician-Architect Model

Archives

Follow Dochitect

Follow me on:

** ©2021 Dochitect :: Site by KPFdigital :: Admin Login