Blog Contribution by NIHD Board Member Kevin Meek RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, FACHE.
All too often in architectural and design projects, one can ask the architect, “Did you ask the clinicians about what they are needing,” and the answer is almost always ‘yes’. Additionally, you can ask the clinicians, “did you share with the architects your needs?” And again the answer is almost inevitably ‘yes’. However, when you ask both groups “did you understand what they were saying,” the unfortunate reality is the answer is typically ‘no’. So how do we ensure that what we are designing actually meets the needs of the clinicians that will be using the space – use an ‘interpreter’.
In nursing school, we do not learn anything about Evidence Based Design, space programming, or departmental layouts. We essentially graduate to work in an environment that we just accept is what it is. While we realize opportunities every day how the environment could be enhanced, we aren’t trained in how to speak ‘architectural-ese’. Some of the most important liaisons on any project are those clinicians that understand and can translate the needs of the clinicians to the language of the design team. If you don’t have these people within your organization, which many facilities do not, then be sure you find them through your discovery process before starting your project. These individuals may be part of a design firm, a consulting group, or even independent contract support.
In an effort to bridge the gap between clinician (user) and architect (planner), we have included a robust glossary of terms in our book Nurses as Leaders in Healthcare Design; A Resources for Nurses and Inter-professional Partners. The glossary is a partner effort and was provided by The Center for Health Design. Members have access to digital downloads of all chapters.
Blog Contribution by NIHD Board Member Kevin Meek RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, FACHE.
Blog Contribution by NIHD Board Member Kevin Meek RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, FACHE. He is Vice President - Advisory Services at The Haskell Company and can be reached at kevin.meek@haskell.com.