As concern about hospital violence grows, hospitals and other healthcare organizations have recognized incorporate safety into facility design, according to an article on the Advisory Board website.  

Experts are urging designers to focus on controlling public access and enhancing features that prevent violent incidents in four areas of hospitals:

• emergency departments

• waiting rooms

• pediatric departments

• psychiatric facilities

For instance, Parkland Hospital in Dallas, will use airportlike screening on patients as they enter the facility. For patients in critical condition, police officers will accompany the patient and take any contraband items or weapons from him as the staff puts the patient in a bed, the article said.

In another project, the University of Arizona Medical Center's Behavioral Health Pavilion and Crisis Response Center now includes a Pima County Superior Court courtroom within the facility. 

Read the article.