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. 2020 Jul 20;91(9-S):50-60.
doi: 10.23750/abm.v91i9-S.10117.

COVID-19 and Healthcare Facilities: a Decalogue of Design Strategies for Resilient Hospitals

Stefano Capolongo  1 , Marco Gola  2 , Andrea Brambilla  3 , Alessandro Morganti  4 , Erica Isa Mosca  5 , Paul Barach  6
Affiliations

COVID-19 and Healthcare Facilities: a Decalogue of Design Strategies for Resilient Hospitals

Stefano Capolongo et al. Acta Biomed. .

Abstract

Background and aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the global healthcare systems. The surge in infections and sick critically ill patients has tested the resilience of healthcare infrastructures and facilities forcing organizations to quickly adapt and embrace emergency solutions. The paper proposes a decalogue of design strategies applicable both to new hospitals and to the refurbishment of existing hospitals.

Methods: The authors conducted observations at hospitals, during public health webinars and through experts working groups from March to May 2020.

Results: In this commentary, the authors present a list of strategies for creating critical care surge capacity and exploring design strategies for healthcare design for resilient hospital facilities. The strategies are organized into two tiers: I) design and II) operations. The (I) Design phase strategies are: 1) Strategic Site Location; 2) Typology Configuration; 3) Flexibility; 4) Functional program; 5) User-centerdness. The (II) Operation phase strategies are: 6) Healthcare network on the territory; 7) Patient safety; 8) HVAC and indoor air quality; 9) Innovative finishing materials and furniture; 10) Healthcare digital innovation.

Conclusions: Hospitals, health care systems, and institutions urgently need to assess their resources, identify potential bottlenecks, and create strategies for increasing critical care surge capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare operations and accelerated the processes of innovation and transformation. The design and operational strategies can enable the achievement of resilient hospital facilities. Further multidisciplinary researches is needed to validate the strategies empirically.

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Conflict of interest statement

Each author declares that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g. consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangement etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart of the decalogue of design strategies for resilient hospitals
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A graphical diagram that describe the 10 strategies proposed in the commentary
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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