MINNEAPOLIS – With a graying population, nursing shortages and spiraling costs, the healthcare industry faces more than its share of challenges. A current construction boom may provide some relief, but what are the critical success factors that will keep these new buildings at peak performance for years to come?

Medical planners and designers at Ellerbe Becket took up the challenge of creating the next generation of patient rooms and this month will unveil the “Patient Room of the Future.” The concept is featured in the company’s Quarterly magazine and will be discussed live in a series of web-based learning events on Jan. 20 and Feb. 17. (See the bottom of this release or click on the image above for details on how to log on).

Since designing the first building specifically for a group practice clinic in 1912, Ellerbe Becket has been a pioneer in healthcare design. Tom Ellerbe first proposed the radical idea of equipping each hospital room with its own private bathroom way back in 1922.

During charettes (intense brainstorm sessions), Ellerbe Becket professionals worked through several key issues such as changing consumer traits (an aging population and more obese patients), the nursing crisis, family members as caregivers, the struggle to keep up with technology, rising costs and higher patient expectations. Hospital patients during the next 30-40 years will come from the baby boomer generation, a group that has significantly influenced consumer offerings with each passing decade.

“As these individuals grow older they’ll have a greater need for healthcare and frequently will have multiple problems,” says John Waugh, AIA, an Ellerbe Becket health sciences principal. “They also may be having elective procedures and a general expectation of a higher level of care, including spa-like amenities.”

Characteristics of the future patient room will include:

• Sinks and work counters in locations where they aid efficiency and save time
• Space for families to “camp out” to aid in patient care and help stem the nursing shortage
• Flexibility to serve one purpose today and a totally different purpose in 30 years
• Durable natural finishes from renewable resources
• Operable windows
• Energy efficiency
• Recyclable materials

“When you consider the medical technologies of today that didn’t exist even 10 years ago, it’s easy to understand how important it is to build a room that can accommodate advances,” says Craig Hall, AIA, senior medical architect.

To participate in the Jan. 20 web-based event on the Patient Room of the Future:

1. Go to the web link at http://ellerbebecket.webex.com
2. Select the date by clicking on the calendar icon
3. Provide registration information for the event, "Trends in Patient Room Design"

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Contact: news@ellerbebecket.com