Designing hospitals for children includes the challenge of creating facilities that must provide high level of care in a nonthreatening environment, according to an article on the Fierce Healthcare website.
Pediatric hospitals need more space than traditional hospitals to accommodate different sizes of beds, child life services including classrooms and teen lounges, and rooms large enough for supportive families to gather, according to the article.
These facilities also need to consider the design for the families of patients who are regular hospital visitors. Check-in kiosks, for instance, can speed the process for regulars.
Safety and security concerns also are different for pediatric facilities. For example, a rooftop garden can be surrounded by a six-foot-high glass rail.
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