UNDERSTANDING THE CONSUMER PERSPECTIVE TO IMPROVE DESIGN QUALITY

The value of involving patients’ and family members’ voices in the dialogue about healthcare facility environments is immense if society’s goal is to meet people’s needs. Reports from these ultimate end consumers about what matters to them in the built environment, and about what supports their healthcare experience will provide important information for healthcare planners, managers, architects, and interior designers who strive to create caring and supportive healthcare environments. The Picker Institute and The Center for Health Design conducted a multiyear project to identify what end consumers of healthcare seek in the built environment and what supports or detracts from their healthcare experience. Through focus groups with patients and family members, we have learned that the built environment does affect the quality of their experience. Patients and family members told us that they want a built environment that: 1) facilitates connection to staff, 2) is conducive to well-being, 3) is convenient and accessible, 4) is caring for family, 5) is confidential and private, 6) is considerate of impairments, 7) facilitates connection to the outside world, and 8) is safe and secure. From these research results, we developed a patient satisfaction survey and a patient-centered environmental checklist. These assessment tools will help healthcare facility designers and healthcare organizations collect information about consumers’ needs, measure satisfaction, and provide facility comparisons for modeling the industry’s best practices. Journal of Architectural and Planning Research 20:1 (Spring, 2003) 16