Previous research shows that physical designs within healthcare environments play a key role in promoting patient well-being. The design of a given healthcare facility directly affects the efficiency with which care is delivered, as well as affecting the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of its staff members. Since mental health facilities provide care to patients with a wide array of illnesses and other needs, it is increasingly important for designers to understand how certain physical factors within these environments can improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery overall.
To examine how the physical environment affects healthcare quality, effectiveness, and efficiency in inpatient units within acute psychiatric care facilities, and to call attention towards the importance of incorporating sustainable designs.
The author provides examples of state-of-the-art designs that can help improve the delivery of psychiatric care. Design recommendations are given for both mental health hospitals as well as inpatient mental health units. Examples of successful international models are also provided. This study acts as both a literary review as well as a set of general guidelines that could be considered by key stakeholders involved in the design of mental health facilities.
After literature review and analysis, the author makes a series of recommendations for improving “healing architecture” in general. These recommendations include: reducing emphasis on institutional aspects of care and surrounding patients with furnishings and fixtures that are safe but residential in appearance, providing patients and staff with the ability to be in contact with the outside environment, focusing on sustainable building designs for the benefit of patients, staff, and the environment, and generally shifting focus towards evidence-based designs.
This study presents a literature review combined with suggestions presented by the author; no original qualitative or quantitative data are gathered. Since the sources of information analyzed in this study are from different locations, specific suggestions may not be universally applicable to all healthcare environments.