Participatory facility design challenges in two university hospitals

ABSTRACT Healthcare (HC) providers are expected to enhance their work efficiency, while resources for HC remain scarce. In order to accomplish this, efficient work environments must be developed. Although not yet a common practice in today’s hospitals, participatory design is a useful tool for improving HC facility design (FD). Thematic interviews were used as a study method. Employees from two Finnish central hospitals (n = 14) were interviewed. The interviews were carried out among, for example, hospital and project managers, facility designers and hospital user group representatives. The interviews revealed that participatory design can improve several aspects of FD, such as staff satisfaction, trust and teamwork. Clarifying reasons behind the decision-making process and instilling cohesion among the FD participants seemed beneficial. The hospital units that had systematically listened to the users and involved them in the decision-making process had also gained the users’ commitment and encountered little resistance. The challenges associated with participatory design included, for example, guiding the employees to project-based FD, utilizing users’ know-how, getting everyone involved, and eliminating silo mentality. Several similarities were found in the participatory FD processes in the two target hospitals. The users of hospital facilities provide an important resource for designing new hospitals. The two study target hospitals had significantly benefited from using participatory design in their FD projects.