A large body of research shows that biophilic design supports peoples’ cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being. It represents a huge opportunity for healthcare facilities to improve the patient and caregiver experience. Research has shown it can even result in shorter hospital stays.
The same goes for empathetic design, which is about understanding and respecting the needs and emotions of patients and their families, and the experiences of end users. This involves designing hospital environments that are attuned to the physical, emotional, and cultural requirements of patients and their loved ones; not to mention healthcare workers.
Because hospitals are places often charged with intense emotions, they can greatly benefit from empathetic design, where spaces are designed to promote privacy and support dignity in stress or emotion-filled times.
Imagine receiving news of a loved one's illness in a typically sterile, dim hospital room versus a room where the walls are adorned with tranquil artwork, and there's comfortable seating where patients and their families can gather. While the news stays unchanged, the empathetically designed space provides greater comfort, security, and well-being for patients, friends, and whanau.
In Aotearoa, the healthcare sector is starting to focus more on social licencing when new hospitals or healthcare facilities are built, or existing ones are redeveloped. We think that's a wonderful thing. Social licensing is all about making sure that healthcare projects are designed to match the values and needs of the communities they're in and serve. When planning a new hospital, that means talking to residents, local iwi, clinicians and patients themselves, to understand their priorities.
Hospital spaces are now being designed to accommodate diverse cultures by incorporating flexible spaces, cultural considerations, multilingual communication, family involvement areas, and culturally sensitive care practices.
Bringing together social licensing, biophilic and empathetic design offers a real chance to make healthcare better in Aotearoa.
If we make hospitals and healthcare facilities more welcoming and natural, and we listen to what our communities want and need, we can better tackle problems like unequal access to healthcare and mental health struggles. It's about getting everyone involved - from local people to clinicians - and thinking about how to make healthcare spaces more comfortable and caring.
By integrating these principles into healthcare design and planning, communities can create environments that promote health, equity, and resilience in the face of evolving health trends. Even though some people might see this as unimportant, just put yourself in the shoes of a sick patient or worried family member. It really does matter.
