Styles of healthcare design and their impact on patients' well-being

The design of many hospitals is not in line with future end-user needs and requirements. A growing body of research shows evidence for the impact of the design of a physical environment on health and well-being. Patient safety cannot only be considered in terms of avoidance of physical harm but should also be considered with regard to improving their emotional well-being. While much effort is spent on improving the physical functionalities, the visual aspect of design and its impact on patients should also be considered. The design of waiting areas in particular communicate the initial impression of the overall healthcare setting as well as face the challenge of accommodating the needs of multiple types of end-users. The appearance of healthcare waiting areas often reflects the individual style of decision-makers, designers and architects instead of end-users themselves. In order to assess and compare different healthcare waiting areas, a formal classification of design styles and the way they are perceived by the end-user needs to be explored. While the term institutional is most consistently used to describe the clinical appearance, a broad number of classifications appear to have ambiguous meanings. No formal classifications of different healthcare design styles have been established and how they impact patients’ emotional response is not well-understood. This study seeks to explore the rationale behind participants’ classification process as a first step in order to understand how each style impacts upon end-user emotions.