ACHA Certified Designers Surveyed on COVID-19, Future of Health Facilities

The American College of Healthcare Architects released key findings by survey of its members revealing their insights on the future of healthcare architecture and the role of design in the COVID-19 healthcare crisis.

The survey revealed the following:

• Over 63% of respondents helped clients evaluate alternative care sites
• Over 60% of ACHA experts were called on to help healthcare systems increase capacity – 28% created over 100 beds
• Over 70% of respondents believe design for mass-casualty patient surges will be an important element for hospitals in the future
• Over 80% of respondents thought the telehealth boom would have major impact on facility design

ACHA surveyed more than 100 certified professional healthcare designers to reveal lessons learned from COVID-19 and the role of architects in addressing the crisis. Participants represent areas across North America, including many severely affected states such as New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, California and Pennsylvania.

The survey also identified upcoming challenges:

• How can hospitals be designed so normal operations (such as elective procedures) can continue through a pandemic so as not to disrupt regular patient treatment and reduce financial challenges?
• Restrictions will likely be implemented on patient/visitor traffic flow to control cross-contamination. How will this transform facility intake and entry design?
• How can architects emphasize on building flexible, adaptable facilities that can be easily modified to allow a quick response to changing medical priorities?
• How can healthcare and non-healthcare facilities be designed to handle patient overflow in a more expedient fashion?

For the full results of the survey, click here. To learn more about ACHA, click here.