By Dan Hounsell

Crisitunity isn’t a real word, but if it was, it would accurately describe the situation healthcare facilities managers find themselves in as they try to find opportunities to improve the interior design of their buildings -- both existing and new -- that have emerged from the crisis of COVID-19.

The pandemic has highlighted the plight of the healthcare infrastructure, according to Financial Express. In particular, it has exposed critical shortcomings in the design of hospitals, which too often failed to provide enough space for patients and reduce cross-infection. These issues have made it essential to reevaluate and reimagine clinical environments. The situation offers an opportunity to re-invigorate the healthcare facilities. Among the design considerations that healthcare facilities managers need to examine are these:

Flexibility in design. Flexibility and modularity are crucial to make hospital designs adaptable and meet the vastly increasing patient and equipment load. Grid planning can be adopted to construct long-span spaces that can accommodate the number of patients and allow greater flexibility.

Advancement of technology and the need for touch-free controls have pushed forward the demand for a technologically driven approach towards healthcare design. Smart systems for lighting, temperature, and other building functions can help curtail the spread of infection on these highly used surfaces.