Patient-Centered Design Online

Publication of Institute for Patient-Centered Design, Inc.

December 2013/January 2014, Issue 27

A real lactation nurse and NICU mom simulate an activity with a participant while Drs. Robert White and Mardelle Shepley, both instrumental in the project's development, contribute to the discussion.

The 2013 Patient Experience Simulation Lab at the annual Healthcare Design Conference exceeded expectations and offered conference attendees the opportunity to participate in an interactive workshop unlike any of its kind.  

The full-scale mock NICU Simulation Lab was open the entire duration of the conference, allowing participants numerous opportunities to experience the NICU environment, while also granting them the opportunity to voice their professional and personal opinions on the design.

While many participants had unique experiences of their own in a  NICU, the team from the Institute, and its cadre of sponsors and partners gave participants a full-circle experience, so that each participant walked away with a full understanding of how the NICU works, as well as ideas on how to improve future design elements.   

The mock NICU Simulation Lab design was uniquely based on the design of this year's three winning teams in the design competition: (first place) Stantec Architecture Ltd. for Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto; (second place) Hord Coplan Macht, Inc. for MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore; and (third place) McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture for Bon Secours St. Francis Health System (Eastside Campus) in Greenville, SC.

For this program, workshop participants were able to participate in three types of simulations, including the virtual reality experience (provided by WorldViz) which allowed participants to become immersed in an alternate NICU design in order to compare its features to those in the physical model.  Next, they walked through the physical model, with an opportunity to touch, feel and experience thoughtful solutions to NICU design challenges. The third and final component was an augmented reality tour of the top scoring design submissions, which provided workshop participants with a multi-dimensional look at the designs that inspired the model. This tool, created by research partner SimTigrate Design Lab, is commonly used to enable stakeholders to toggle through various design options before committing to the final design.  (Find more information on the research component of this project in an upcoming issue of Healthcare Design Magazine.)

It was not only educational to see this carefully studied design come to life, but the final product was simply amazing. From the clean and smart prefabricated wall system to the innovative medical equipment, to the use of solid surface materials integrating art into the casework, this year's Patient Experience Simulation Lab was a major success. Learn more at http://www.patientcentereddesign.org/hcd13.html. 

Institute for Patient-Centered Design will reassemble the NICU model in the metro Atlanta area in order to continue the research, engage students for more innovation, and educate the local healthcare design profession.

Stay connected with the Institute in 2014 to learn more about future projects including the Call for Design Submissions in the 2014 Patient Experience Simulation Lab Design Competition, as well as ways that you can make a difference in your own projects through patient-centered design.

The 2013 Patient & Family-Centered NICU