The design of a psychiatric unit is about more than safety, according to an article on the Behavioral Healthcare Executive website.
What message is sent to the staff and the patients when the staff sit at a central nurse station, with clear visibility towards every corner of the unit; when that nurse station is designed with high counters or even glass enclosure to “protect the staff?"
What message is sent when patients must ask permission to gain access to a bathroom or to get a game to play?
How often is this considered in the design of these spaces? Based on many new facilities, not nearly often enough, the article said.
Medical Outpatient Buildings: 4 Trends Bringing Risk, Opportunity
Building Senior Care Facilities for Harsh Temperatures
Nemours Children's Health Opens the Betty and Jack Demetree Family Center for Otolaryngology
Laser Scanning: Reducing Risk in Construction Projects
MOBs Get Smarter and More Complex as Space Pressures Mount