As a project for Nexthealth, I've been gathering things I'd like to see in my dream hospital.
Some are products (chairs, laptop stands, infusion pumps), some are services (hairwashing - don't ask), some are 'atmosphere' or environmental scenes.
This project began when I attended JCAHO's first Hospital of the Future conference in Florida last year. Almost no one (with the exception of Bumrungrad CEO Curt Schroeder) I saw speak seemed to really be interested in incorporating a service/user-design centric perspective.
It was that conference that inspired me to take the Walt approach to designing a dream hospital in this early HMRx post.
Having these kinds of design innovations in hospitals isn't just far-fetched, in many cases it's downright impractical (and potentially unsafe).
But I WAS seeing all kinds of nifty things in Dwell, Discover, Fast Company, and a bunch of other magazines that wouldn't be so out of place in a well-designed hospital of the future - so I started ripping them out (or visiting the manufacturer websites for digital copies) and saving them.
And then I learned about Dell Texas Childrens' Hospital, which actually seemed to be incorporating some dreamy features and practical green designs.
The good news? Most of the product photos I'm squirreling away are goods currently available on the market.
So I'm going to start posting nifty design photos up on Flickr under the "Design:Health" set.
Every time I see something neat it'll go onto Flickr instead of into my black binder of design.
Why does this matter?
It's dark days for healthcare. Anything that makes people who are also patients feel good about healthcare choices, wellness experiences, deserves some time in the spotlight, however fleeting.
Here's the gallery where I'll be posting Design:Health shots: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24983074@N06/sets/72157607578827484/.
If you work in healthcare/wellness, I encourage you to start your own Design:Health gallery.
You're the navigator of your personal health narrative - what would you like to see next along the way?
Blogger's Note - the image above is the Zoo de Vincennes in France. Bien, no?
1 comment:
My dream for an ideal hospital would be the along the lines of the plantree model. A significant proportion of the "rules" associated with hospital stays have nothing to do with the well being of the patient, they are designed for the convenience of hospital staff.
For example, if my spouse is in the hospital, I have to abide by some arbitrary visiting hours? My favorite, well behaved pet (with proper good citizenship training) cannot visit me? The list goes on. I am pleased to see a discussion on the physical plant as well as the procedural realities that exist.
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