by Ravideep Singh
Technology has changed the world by leaps and bounds in the last hundred years. However, like every other domain, Health care Not untouched by the digital age. With ubiquitous technology, healthcare design is driving advances in medicine. This new era has given rise to terms like telemedicine, e-hospitals, cellular hospitals, etc., which are seen as the future of the healthcare industry.
Telemedicine or Telehealth Healthcare services are made contactless with the help of telecommunications. A patient can benefit from a doctor’s contact, advice, care and supervision without physically visiting a hospital or clinic. With the help of technology and the growing acceptance of digital interactions, the health of patients will soon be monitored by doctors and nurses remotely through an intelligent infrastructure. For instance, wearable devices will collect relevant data from patients such as sugar and blood pressure levels and send it to doctors as a transcription of medical records. This is a successful example of technology Nocturnal hemodialysisIt is called ‘dialysis for the new millennium’ [1] By National Library of Medicine, United States. Nocturnal hemodialysis can be performed while the patient is sleeping at home at night. The development of ‘remote patient monitoring’ or RPM has strengthened this system, where patients and caregivers can access data recorded by RPM devices, thus facilitating contactless treatment. Such examples show that healthcare is rapidly moving towards a tech-integrated system.
With rapidly advancing technology, healthcare innovators are focused on physically decomposing healthcare systems and orienting them towards a digitally seamless care delivery model. In the near future, digital healthcare will be included IoT (Internet of Things), make the best use of technology and emerge in a more efficient and resilient model than the current model. The shift towards technology is asking architects and designers to synchronize their design process with digital healthcare.
Using tools like Big Data and Artificial Intelligence It will allow healthcare professionals and designers to understand patterns from pre-existing patient profiles and use them to create dynamic design layouts for hospitals that can be reconfigured. For example, cellular hospitals will soon be a more prevalent sight compared to departmentalized hospitals. A cellular hospital has a typical singular system that will treat multiple ailments in one place. Instead of running around to different departments, patients will be able to avail treatment at one place.
Models like telemedicine and cellular hospitals will lead healthcare design to a digital and sustainable future, where the strain on hospital infrastructure and running costs will be greatly reduced.
Along with awareness of the existence of such technologies, it is equally important for healthcare designers and practitioners to be mindful of the logistics of accessing such infrastructure. Currently, there is an absence of healthcare data that can be key to predictability and innovation in care delivery. Healthcare analytics and integrated patient data can enable healthcare designers and practitioners to understand the social determinants of health. Availability of such data will allow tailoring of policies based on areas, age groups, etc., which effectively deal with community-specific problems. For example, the high incidence of cancer found in some areas of Punjab has been linked to certain carcinogens, such as uranium in drinking water, which infiltrate the agricultural state through excessive use of pesticides. If conducted in a timely manner, studies involving data and healthcare analytics can enable appropriate policy reforms, interventions and programs for specific demographics, resulting in life-saving healthcare services. These studies will also allow architects and planners to design the right infrastructure to provide high-quality medical care to those in need and focus on patient safety, satisfaction and comfort. Additionally, it will streamline future care delivery by continuously collecting and analyzing patient data through a tech-enabled infrastructure.
Healthcare designers can catalyze a seamless transition to digital and smart healthcare. Incorporating research into care delivery, equipment technology and analysis at the planning stage will result in a flexible infrastructure. This is important because diagnostics and surgical procedures are evolving rapidly. Healthcare designers should work with practitioners to reconfigure infrastructural needs for the next decade and analyze alternative planning scenarios for repurposed hospital areas.
Significant strides are being made in the research and development of such schemes, and the future looks promising. The involvement of tech giants is also expected in the coming years. With architects and designers working in partnership with doctors, researchers and tech giants, an evolving healthcare ecosystem awaits.
Ravideep Singh, Associate Director, Creative Designer Architects
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