In the EVICURES project, a design model for future intensive and intermediate care facilities was developed at Seinäjoki Central Hospital. The results of the research conducted by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, on evidence-based design (EBD) and user-orientation were applied to the design work. The project will be realized when Finland's first single-patient intensive and intermediate care and cardiac unit designed in accordance with the model becomes operational in 2018.
The need for intensive and intermediate care will increase, and hospitals must be developed to meet future needs. "The international trend is that the need for intermediate care in particular is increasing. More and more demanding methods are being used for treating patients, and the number of elderly patients is increasing," says Kari Saarinen, Project Manager of the EVICURES project and Chief Physician at ICU, Hospital District of South Ostrobothnia. ScienceDaily, more...
The Aging of America Will Create A $279B Opportunity by 2020
The massive baby boomer demographic has been impacting industries like housing, travel, pets and healthcare for years, yet one of the biggest boomer-related market expansions is yet to come: senior care. Some seniors will receive necessary care by moving into a facility, but many will be aging at home with the assistance of homecare companies. There may be an opportunity for your company to participate in this enormous rising tide of opportunity.
Because of the burgeoning number of aging people who will need care, better technology must be a part of the overall solution set. This area of senior home care is perhaps the largest opportunity for future growth. With facility-based care costing around $5,000 per month, and in-home service at $1,500 to $2,000 per month for 5 to 8 hours of daily care, there will be strong market pressure to reduce end-user costs through technology. Forbes, more...
Reminder: the 2017 EFA Expo & Conference Call for Presentations closes June 24, 2016!
Health Care Furniture Gets Technology Boost
Health care furnishings with monitoring functions can provide important data for patient care and facility operations.
The iBed platform, part of the Connected Hospital system from Stryker Corp., Kalamazoo, Mich., can monitor the status of the patient bed, such as whether the bed exit alarm is armed or the side rail is up or down; basic patient characteristics, such as weight; and nursing protocols and procedures, such as turning a patient every two hours. The company says the solution can provide clinical leadership with tools to track and drive compliance with fall prevention or patient care protocols to help provide a safer patient environment. Health Facilities Management, more...
Architects Push Designing for Health
The American Institute of Architects, the AIA Foundation and architect-engineer HOK are joining forces to bridge the gap between research and practice in the area of design and health. Under a memorandum of understanding signed last month, HOK, in collaboration with the AIA’s Design and Health Research Consortium, will hold as many as four focus groups in cities across the U.S. to evaluate existing research and identify practice-focused needs for future research to support designing for health.
"This is an opportunity for the AIA, with HOK, to bring in a network of clients and designers who will help the AIA and the consortium teams to understand how research can be most helpful in practice and what may be missing in research in terms of how it's geared toward practice," says Marta Zaniewski, AIA's director for industry relations. "HOK is a great debut partner for the consortium," says Zaniewski. AIA and the consortium hope to add to the list of firm-partners, she adds. Engineering News Record, more...
Shedding Light on Healthcare Lighting Design Strategies
With lighting equipment accounting for a good portion of a project’s FF&E costs, budget frequently drives healthcare lighting programs. At the same time, healthcare organizations realize that successful designs can pay off.
For example, proper lighting can potentially improve patient satisfaction surveys—and, subsequently, reimbursements tied to those surveys—by positively influencing patients’ perceptions of their environments. Beyond satisfaction, though, well-lit interiors can provide visually varied and stress-reducing spaces, shown by research to enhance patient outcomes and well-being. Overall, design experts agree that measuring the success of a lighting program should go well beyond aesthetics and function and focus on how the occupants are experiencing the light. Healthcare Design, more...
Storytelling through Materials
Robert Nieminen, editor at large, interior+sources, recently had a conversation with Michael Gaffney, senior associate vice president at CallisonRTKL in Seattle, about the importance of re-using existing building materials and furnishings in renovation projects. During our discussion, we covered a lot of ground in terms of material trends, and how the industry is focusing heavily on transparency, Health Product Declaration (HPD), etc.—especially now that LEED v4 rewards credits for specifying products that carry an HPD.
While it’s certainly commendable that manufacturers and specifiers have focused a great deal of effort and attention on the toxicity of new products, furnishings, and materials, it seems that re-using them often gets overlooked or downplayed—even though LEED v4 rewards points for material re-use too. Giving products a second life is among the most sustainable of choices a designer can make, and it carries an added benefit that new products simply can’t replicate: the power of story." interiors+sources, more...
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