Safe Environment
Published: 23 October 2022
Published: 23 October 2022
How can a health service environment best support the provision of safe and high-quality care for all patients?
This can be achieved through the 'safe environment' concept - a component of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards: Standard 1 Clinical Governance.
The health service environment, including all facilities, plant and equipment, should be fit for purpose. These elements must be kept in good working order to limit the occurrence of accidents and assure patient safety (ACSQHC 2021).
But what does a facility ‘unfit for purpose’ look like? Here are some real-life examples:
(BBC News 2019; Campbell 2019; Moussalli & Stevens 2019)
Optimum design is much more than aesthetics. Good design can reduce the potential of unwanted events. Design considerations could include ensuring adequate lighting is present in areas where medicines are dispensed; or choosing surfaces that are easy to clean and disinfect (ACSQHC 2021).
Good environmental design can even positively influence the healing process (Rasoulivalajoozi & Farzamfar 2022).
Effective design can directly result in quantifiable psychological improvements, particularly noticeable in areas such as:
(Theodore 2016)
The term for design considerations that aim to improve healthcare through architecture is ‘evidence-based design’. It isn’t hard to see how thoughtful design could improve the hospital experience, with many modern facilities moving away from the typical noisy, chaotic and dark hospital environments of old that only further intensify patient stress (Berry & Hamilton 2018).
Having clear directions and signage can help patients locate the services they need. Patient comfort and experience of care can be improved through the correct use of furnishings, colour, artwork, light and sound (ACSQHC 2021).
‘Wayfinding’ is the ability for hospital staff, patients and visitors to navigate their way through a healthcare facility with ease. Effective wayfinding results in staff spending less time directing people, and a better patient experience overall (NSW Health 2022).
Wayfinding improvements include a combination of the following elements:
(NSW Health 2022)
Well-designed facilities can assist clinicians to provide the correct amount of engagement or stimulation for patients who have mental health issues. By reducing unnecessary stimulation, these spaces can also simplify the environment for those who have cognitive impairment (ACSQHC 2021).
The environment should be designed in a way that minimises stimuli that are not helpful to patients, e.g. clutter and posters. Audio stimuli can also be reduced, e.g. through the use of sound-absorbing ceilings, walls and flooring; and reduced equipment noise where possible (Berry & Hamilton 2018).
The health service organisation should:
(ACSQHC 2021)
Question 1 of 3
True or false: Design considerations, while important, do not play a role in the healing process.