Hospital Architect in India

1. The recognition of hospital architects The healthcare industry the world over is expected to grow at a significant pace during the course of the next decade and more. This has encouraged not only doctor pools and hospital promoters, but also business scions and conglomerates from non-healthcare backgrounds to consider the business advantage of investing in healthcare facilities. A substantial portion of the population that looks to participate financially in these healthcare projects have very little experience if at all, in the nuances of managing a healthcare facility. The establishment of a hospital is an expensive affair and therefore promoters believe that the incessant amount of time healthcare consultants spend on conducting extensive market analysis and detailed financial feasibility studies to ensure the viability of such an undertaking is completely justified. Once they are satisfied that the investment is a good one, more often than not they tend to go soft on the next stage of the project, design and planning, arguably the most critical one. While these promoters need to seek out experienced hospital architects, they are satisfied hiring the services of architects that have created a name for themselves through non-healthcare projects. There are three essential facets that a hospital architect takes cognizance of when designing a healthcare facility. A hospital architect addresses safety first While the promoter group would like to have their healthcare establishment look like a hotel or high-end business center, they cannot do so at the expense of basic safety and security at the hospital. Courtyards and oversized cafeterias certainly add to the aesthetics of such an establishment and also ensure thrills for patient relatives and friends. However as a hospital architect, one must know how much leeway to give such facilities in exchange for a secure environment, limited public presence within the facility to ensure smooth movement of patients, staff and materials and avoid bottlenecks, and reduced contamination from external sources. Comprehension of clinical and non-clinical services A healthcare architect needs to be well informed about everything from the flow of people and material during various medical procedure and administrative processes like the IPD billing cycle to the basic functioning and space requirement of major medical equipment. Doctors, consultants and administrative staff will always have inputs to the designs as they need to be certain that their processes are seamless and not obstructed by any infrastructure related nuances. Knowledge of healthcare facilities ensures the communication between the architect and the internal stakeholders is meaningful and allows the architect to offer a robust space program. Systematic designing of interdependent departments and services

2. This ties in with the previous point of possessing the knowledge of how healthcare facilities need to function. There are several services and departments in a hospital that require interdependency and quick transport of patients, staff and material. Therefore, the proximity between them, both horizontally and vertically is critical. A hospital architect has the experience and knowledge to understand these workflows and therefore address it in an appropriate manner As a simple illustration let’s consider the OPD in a hospital. The OPD should be located close to the main road and main entrance of the hospital and preferably be at the ground level. Furthermore all outpatient clinics should preferably be clustered in one block for the convenience of the patients and management. Here is a basic flow and activity in an OPD . There are more complicated departments and services in a hospital related to the critical and surgical units in a hospital that require an algorithmic and logical infrastructure. A hospital architect is best equipped to handle it. Registration Classification desk Waiting and consultation for each department Charge at cashier room Diagnostic tests and examination Obtain medicines at the pharmacy Discharge