The hospital of the future will be significantly different from the hospitals we see today. According to some reports, not a single administrator, doctor, or patient can clearly tell what these hospitals will look like. According to Gary M. Burk, Principal at Terrie L Kurrasch Senior Associate Ratliff, the future hospital won’t be a healthcare facility.
Due in part to technological innovations and the general delivery system, amalgamation, consolidation, and the ever-evolving regulatory environment, future hospitals won’t be as richly utilized, nor will they be as resource intensive as the hospitals of today.
Five key features of future hospitals
- Efficiency - of operations, optimal functional relationships, clinical safety, value for money, low upkeep requirements, and modern systems.
- Sustainability – of design, reduced consumption of energy, and intensive 24-hour usage characterized by high occupancy rates.
- Flexibility – for expansion and acquisition of new technology.
- Patient centered care - where the family is considered part of the care process.
- Healing environment - created from hospitality and art alongside science and technology.