Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Healthcare Design

The healthcare design landscape is evolving, driven by emerging opportunities and a renewed focus on innovation. At the 2024 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo, leaders in healthcare construction and design discussed key factors shaping the industry. While the future remains uncertain, it's clear that the healthcare construction industry is poised to leverage emerging market opportunities, address social determinants of health, and embrace sustainability initiatives to drive positive outcomes in healthcare design. 

Rebounding Profits Open Doors to Expanding Services

One of the major themes discussed at the conference was the return of healthier profit margins in healthcare, which opens the door to new possibilities for expanding services.

Repurposing Retail Spaces for Healthcare

With some retail sectors in decline, healthcare providers are seizing the opportunity to expand outpatient services in communities by repurposing abandoned retail spaces. Large retail stores, often located in prime areas thanks to retailer market research, present unique opportunities for outpatient healthcare operations. With their open floor plans and excellent locations, these spaces can be adapted with minimal modifications to serve medical needs, offering a cost-effective and timely solution for healthcare providers looking to expand their services.

While repurposing retail spaces is one approach, it also ties into a broader consideration: the "retailization" of healthcare. This concept goes beyond physical locations and emphasizes understanding what attracts patients, meeting their need for choices, and building lasting relationships. As discussed in BHDP’s article on creating exceptional patient experiences, patients increasingly view healthcare services through a consumer’s lens. Whether or not healthcare providers repurpose retail spaces, embracing this consumer mindset is essential to delivering care that resonates with today’s patients and their families.

Addressing the Rising Demand for Behavioral Health Services

Another emerging trend is the growing demand for behavioral health services. Healthcare systems are exploring innovative models to deliver mental health services to different populations. By introducing Medical Psych Clinics and Psychiatric Medicine, healthcare providers can better consolidate treatment plans to one unit. This allows the patient to stay within one business and minimize transfers, leading to faster treatment plans with improved patient outcomes. New models for behavioral health intake also offer design challenges and opportunities. While separate spaces for behavioral health visits can signal stigma, integrating these programs with other outpatient services helps maintain privacy and reduce patient discomfort.

Social Determinants of Health Shape Design Models

The social determinants of health are increasingly influencing healthcare design, impacting both operational models and the built environment.

Addressing Staff Burnout and Retaining Talent

Staff burnout and the shortage of trained healthcare professionals are significant challenges facing the industry today. To address these issues, some healthcare systems are piloting innovative solutions, such as onsite or subsidized childcare and implementing limits on maximum allowable work hours. Cassie Holmes, author of The Happiest Hour, emphasizes the importance of shifting the mindset around work to prioritize joy, empowering healthcare staff to rediscover purpose in their roles. Simple interventions, like workshops that help employees identify joyful moments in their day, can effectively combat burnout.
 

However, it’s crucial to remember that healthcare professionals—doctors, nurses, and support staff—thrive in environments that are adequately staffed and thoughtfully designed to meet their needs. Essential elements, such as dedicated break areas that promote restorative rest, are vital in enabling healthcare teams to deliver higher-quality care. By fostering a supportive work environment, healthcare organizations can enhance talent retention and patient outcomes.

Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Healthcare Design

Case studies presented also highlighted the growing importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in healthcare design. Hospitals that prioritize DEI in their design and construction processes are seeing both community and financial benefits. By engaging diverse voices in the planning process, these projects foster a greater sense of pride and trust within the community. This approach not only improves project outcomes but also has the potential to positively impact a healthcare system’s bottom line.

Realistically Discussing the Integration of Artificial Intelligence

It is almost impossible to discuss any topic without thinking about AI. Still, the healthcare industry appears to be realizing more practical and impactful ways it will be integrated into providing care. While the dream of fully autonomous AI healthcare providers may remain out of reach in the near future due to ethical, legal, and regulatory hurdles, the potential for AI to enhance clinical decision-making is increasingly recognized. AI-driven data analytics, for example, can significantly improve the accuracy of diagnostics, assist in predicting patient outcomes, and identify trends in large health datasets that clinicians may miss. As AI technologies evolve, their role in augmenting, rather than replacing, human providers seems likely to become the standard, offering healthcare professionals valuable insights and freeing them to focus on patient care.

Sustainability Initiatives Gaining Momentum

Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword; it’s becoming an essential aspect of healthcare design.

Achieving Aggressive Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Goals

Thanks to advances in onsite electricity generation and geothermal technologies, energy efficiency is now more achievable in healthcare facilities than ever before. Energy Use Intensity (EUI) targets, once considered out of reach for the healthcare industry, are now being met with the help of these innovations. Additionally, strategic envelope design plays a significant role in meeting EUI goals and reducing energy costs. One project determined that increasing thermal envelop performance by 25% in conjunction with other energy-saving mechanical initiatives can produce a return on investment typically realized within 12 to 16 months. 

Embracing WELL Principles for Health and Sustainability

The WELL Building Standard, which focuses on occupant health, is gaining traction in healthcare design, even for projects where the owner may not specifically seek certification. Hospitals have long prioritized features like air quality, access to natural light, and noise control. Now, the WELL Standard is being used to enhance these elements, promoting faster patient recovery and improving the overall environment for both patients and staff.

Designing for the Future

Creativity and a willingness to reasonably challenge the status quo are fundamental to the success of healthcare design projects in the future. As healthcare organizations face increased demand for services, particularly in mental health, and sustainability becomes a more pressing concern in the industry, taking time to fully understand the scope of each project is crucial. Although many projects are driven by cost and speed, a deliberate, thoughtful approach—like BHDP’s design process—ensures that a wide variety of requirements and perspectives are incorporated to meet evolving healthcare needs.

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