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Long before an individual seeks medical help–either for illness or preventative reasons–certain social determinants have likely already had an impactful influence on their long-term health outlook.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) refers to environmental influences that affect an individual’s physical, mental and social well-being in his/her daily environment, including housing, food and physical activity opportunities. Positive examples of SDOH would include safe housing options and nutritious meal options as well as opportunities for physical activity.
Negative factors include everything from pollution and crime, such as heart disease and cancer, to lack of education, employment opportunities or transportation services – factors which when absent can contribute to significant disparities in health.
Social determinants of health are widely recognized, making up one of the primary foci for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) “Healthy People 2030” initiative, which sets data-driven national objectives to improve overall health and wellbeing.
How can the healthcare design sector counter negative SDOHs?
SDOH and the Built Environment Architects have long investigated how built environments can promote occupant health and well-being, with particular attention paid to residential and office buildings where people spend much of their time. Not only is location important; for instance newly constructed housing won’t have the same quality-of-life benefits if constructed in high crime/low amenity neighborhoods.
Healthcare real estate operates under similar principles: an ultramodern facility will do little to improve community health if those most in need cannot access its services due to transportation challenges, language barriers or similar hindrances. HHS’ Healthy People 2030 program recognizes this reality; one objective tied to their SDOH initiative involves increasing providers’ ability to deliver timely, high-quality patient-centric care in accordance with SDOH goals; this should improve access and quality as well as physical environment considerations.
What prevents people from seeking care or following through with prescribed steps from healthcare providers? After society has eliminated basic obstacles to health through providing quality housing in safe, accessible neighborhoods?
Sometimes the solution lies within your physical space itself.
According to a PatientPoint study, two out of five Americans reported feeling nervous when visiting healthcare settings, in part due to institutional designs that don’t prioritize patient comfort.
Design Strategies to Facilitate Care Access
Aspects of healthcare that designers can positively affect include physical environments. By joining forces with healthcare owners, operatorss, and executives to reimagine healthcare environments.
Strategies to provide welcoming healthcare environments where patients feel at ease when seeking care include:
Reduce institutional influences. Simply put, create an atmosphere in healthcare settings that feels more like “home.” Although materials must support a clean and sterile environment, warmth can be added through colorful paint, lighting fixtures, furniture or artwork that puts patients at ease in their surroundings. Exposing patients to natural light or fresh air through windows or direct contact can further promote patient comfort.
Improvement Wayfinding. When patients feel uncertain where they need to go in a building, their anxiety increases significantly. A layout with intuitive navigation and adequate signage and staffing stations that direct visitors directly towards their destination will lead to a much more positive experience for everyone involved. Colorful walls and art pieces may serve as memory cues that help patients recall what steps were taken during a visit, creating an overall more positive experience for all concerned.
Strive for equity and inclusion when designing spaces that facilitate care. Just as healthcare is not one-size-fits-all, so should designing comfortable and functional environments. Take steps such as providing signs in multiple languages. Be sure to ensure facilities are accessible for everyone, including people of all gender identities and family structures. One approach would be providing non-gendered or gender inclusive restrooms and family restrooms; art that depicts people should represent as broad an audience as possible; neurodivergent individuals can benefit from care spaces with less stimulation or sensory options that allow them to relax or regroup.
Studies from the National Library of Medicine and other sources have illuminated the financial burden borne by patient readmissions, hospital-acquired infections and delayed diagnoses – all which affect healthcare’s bottom line and ultimately impact outcomes for all involved.
Studies have proven that providing healthcare that is timely, trustworthy and allows participants to actively take part in their treatment plan can be the most cost-effective means of improving health outcomes.
Together, architects and healthcare providers can work to address gaps in U.S. healthcare delivery by designing facilities to maximize positive patient outcomes both today and into the future.
