The needs and preferences of hospital staff and the scope of design.

The problem of matching the results of hospital design to needs and expectations of its staff has become exceedingly complex. Although it is easy to classify staff needs and preferences, we must go further than that; we must examine if and how they are incorporated in the processes of creating the appropriate hospital environment. All too often these processes--the ever-turning cycle of identifying problems, needs-briefing-designing and evaluating--deviate from the pathways of comprehensive, logical and sensible tactics. The author discusses the reasons for this.