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Environment and Behavior, Vol. 40, No. 2, 205-232 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0013916507311549
© 2008 SAGE Publications

Inpatient Unit Flexibility

Design Characteristics of a Successful Flexible Unit

Debajyoti Pati

HKS, Inc., dpati{at}hksinc.com

Tom Harvey

HKS, Inc.

Carolyn Cason

University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing

Flexibility in health care design is typically addressed from an architectural perspective without a systematic understanding of its meaning from the end-user's viewpoint. Moreover, the architectural perspectives have been generally focused on expandability and convertibility. This study explored flexibility needs in adult medical-surgical inpatient care with the objective to understand its meaning from an end-user perspective and identify characteristics of the physical environment that promote or impede stakeholders' requirements. Semistructured interviews were conducted using a qualitative design with 48 stakeholders in nursing and nursing-support services at 6 hospitals across the United States. Data were collected during September–November 2006. Findings suggest that adaptability influences more aspects of unit operations than convertibility or expandability. Furthermore, physical design characteristics affect 9 critical operational issues where flexibility is required, spanning nursing, environmental services, materials management, dietary services, pharmacy, and respiratory therapy.

Key Words: adaptability • convertibility • efficiency • expandability • flexibility • inpatient unit


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