Patients and Families as Advisors
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“The parents on this [design] committee truly gave of their time.”
—John Stefano, MD
Director of Neonatology Christiana Hospital Newark, Delaware |
In an article entitled “Healing by Design” in the New England Journal of Medicine (1995, Sep 14;333(11):735-40, accessed 1/10/01, Dr. Horsburgh stated that one way hospitals can improve design is “by listening to their patients— they are critical to designing spaces that enable patients to heal.” There are a number of ways, short or long-term, spontaneous or more formal, that patients and families can serve as advisors in the design planning process. Examples of the roles patients and families can take include:
- Participating in writing the request for proposal (RFP) for selection of the architect and/or interior design teams.
- Serving as members of the committee selecting an architect or an interior design team.
- Participating in an initial planning or “kick-off” retreat for the new project.
- Serving as members of the design steering committee.
- Serving as members/chairpersons for issue-specific committees and task forces for the project.
- Hosting coffee hours to gather information from other patients and families.
- Participating in site visits.
- Serving as members of a patient and family advisory council.
- Participating in focus groups.
- Responding to surveys/questionnaires/interviews.
- Reviewing plans and mock-ups of facilities.
- Participating in meetings with potential funders.
- Providing testimony to government agencies and regulatory officials.
- Educating staff, families, and others from the community as part of the occupancy process and the move into the new facilities.
- Serving as participants in the post-occupancy evaluation process.
When setting up a formal
planning process, consumers should comprise one-third to one-half of the design planning committee’s
membership. It is important that the committee includes patients and families who use the facility in different
ways, such as emergency care, outpatient care, and inpatient care in various settings. Because participating in
a formal committee may be new to many health care consumers, asking an experienced consumer advisor or other
individual to serve as a mentor and providing other supports may be helpful. Professionals may also need education
and support to be comfortable allowing patients and families direct input into design planning. For tips on
facilitating collaboration, see the Institute’s publication
Collaborative Design Planning.
Patients and Families as Advisors »