In an era when evidence-based design is highly valued, healthcare groups are finding that they can mine their own operations for this information. Instead of, or in addition to, going outside to benchmark for best practices, owners, facility managers and designers are able to learn from what works in their own buildings.
While hospitals may represent the largest facilities in a healthcare system, they are only one part of the healthcare design equation. Large health system networks operate a full range of facilities, covering every type of care, from the most acute—hospitals—to ambulatory care and clinics. Ambulatory care includes most categories of outpatient healthcare, from specialists’ clinics and outpatient surgery to eye care, pharmacy,
pediatrics and general health. Physicians’ clinics are a smaller subset of ambulatory care.
Flooring is a fundamental part of these buildings. The trend toward resilient and hard surface flooring in hospitals continues, with carpet taking up less and less of the floor plate. Based on experience, rubber has emerged as a material of choice for healthcare. Yet carpet’s acoustic quality—along with its warmth—make it an ideal solution for many non-treatment spaces.
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