Just less than one-half of healthcare facilities remodeled their patient rooms in the last three years, with 20 percent coming less than a year ago, according to a spring Healthcare Facilities Today study. 

As facilities update patient rooms, the COVID-19 will definitely have an influence. In addition to the pandemic, facility managers making purchasing decisions should consider the patient experience. 

Currently, about a quarter of facility managers indicated that patient experience is the first consideration when making furniture and flooring purchasing choices, according to the survey. However, 65 percent of facility managers do make it part of the purchasing decision. 

A new study published in the Patient Experience Journal looks at models that both support and oppose a patient-centric culture. One idea argues that that there are economic and social benefits associated with patient engagement.