A paradigm shift: Hospital turns into hospitalityDid you know that hotels are sometimes also used for post-operative recovery? It seems that staying in a hotel gives patients certain personalized comforts that a hospital does not. (Notice that I didn’t say cannot.)Hospital designers can actually learn a lot from hotel designers. Hotels offer a better ambiance for different moods, designated spaces for visitors/family to stay and a wide selection of room services to choose from — and these are just a few of the hotel amenities that hospitals can incorporate. Trends in hospital design today should lean toward the better integration of nature, color and information management. It is my hope that as hotels evolve to better satisfy their clientele, hospital designers will be paying attention. In today's hospital environment, healing has taken on a whole new look and feel.
Having being spurred on by the burgeoning medical tourism market in India, many hospitals have jumped on to the 'being hospitable' bandwagon to cash in on the boom time. The advent of this phenomenon has caused many hospitals to redefine their quality and service standards, in particular, the hospitality side of their business. And it is to meet this need, to spruce up its hospitality that many hospitals are turning to the hospitality industry for expertise to provide its patients with a wonderful healthcare experience.
Architectural view : hospital have to learn a lot from hotel
It is no secret that hospital patients are influenced by their surroundings. Hospital design directly impacts patient health – in more ways than one might think. Today hospital designers are trying to evolve hospitals beyond their infamously sterile décor. Care is being taken to use color, nature and way finding to ease a patient’s hospital stay. The following are five ways hospital design influences patient health – where care should be taken to improve patient recovery.
1) Residential elementsIn the private rooms, several elements help create a more residential atmosphere. At the head of each bed sits a cherry wood wall storage unit that houses medical equipment. A visitors' seating area has a small sleeper couch or upholstered chairs. A work station for staff as well as visitors is at the opposite end of the bed. Shaded lamps, wallpaper, draperies, framed paintings and a comforter round out the feel.
The rooms also have refrigerators, Internet access hookup and even guest books. The bathrooms also fit into the concept with colored fixtures, decorative tile and roll-in showers.
Instead of a typical nurse station, the work area appears much like a hotel concierge. The lobby contains a water fountain and grand piano to give it a more soothing appearance and feel. Valet parking also is available.
2) PRIVATE ROOMS: Also important to hospital design is the frequency of private rooms in a hospital. Providing private rooms reduces medication error and falling instances.(1) I’m sure you can imagine that private rooms also make for better visiting with patients and their loved ones.
3) NATURE + ARTWORK: Hospitals that include nature and artwork are providing for more positive patient experiences. Both nature and artwork contribute to patients having a greater “sense of well-being” where spaces lend themselves toward contemplation and feeding the senses.
4) NOISE: A major problem within hospitals today is noise. Often patients cannot sleep through the night as medical carts screech through the halls and doors open and close. Hospital designers should pay greater attention to acoustics within hospitals as noisy environments generate more stress for patients. Also, sleep is critical for patient recovery.
5) COLOR: Use of color in hospital design has a multitude of uses. Color can help patients have a sense of orientation – where color is used to give different hospital areas a sense of place. Also, color has been known to be associated with mood. Using the right colors in waiting areas, examination rooms, hallways or patient private rooms can have a definite affect on patient motivation and stress levels.
Operational view: Health Care Hospitality PaysPatients no longer simply look for a private room but one with a view and a welcome mat.
A new trend is emerging in the healthcare Industry which has many patients and visitors smiling. Faced with improving their lagging patient satisfaction levels, many hospitals are adapting a hotel style model of hospitality, with related amenities such as valet parking, greeters, courtesy shuttles, and concierge services. While one would normally only expect to find such luxuries at the finer hotels in the world, they are now being delivered every day at more and more hospitals throughout the country.
Not only do the services provide added convenience for patients and visitors, but they can also solve a variety of challenges related to new construction and state mandated seismic upgrade projects which many hospitals are dealing with. If you're still not convinced, Here’s some other reasons why it might pay to incorporate a few health care hospitality solutions...
Scoring Higher on Patient Surveys: Surveys have shown that hospital facilities which deliver extra amenities such as valet parking, patient concierge service and other hospitality related services score higher on patient satisfaction surveys . Patients who receive stress-relieving services such as valet parking and concierge are more likely to give favorable overall ratings to the hospital, and would be more likely to recommend the hospital to friends and family.
Even Government is supporting to hospitals to spur hospitalityThe tax holiday extended by the union budget for hospitals in the tier-II and III cities is poised to fuel a mutually beneficial hospital-hotel partnership, and augurs well for medical tourism in the country. Land banks lying with hospital groups are now expected to be used for developing hotels on a partnership basis, where hospitals retain ownership of the land and the hotel companies oversee the management of the property.
