User Participation in the Architectural Transformation of Spanish Social Care Centres Towards the Person-Centred Care Model.

The traditional architectural design of care institutions is characterised by limited privacy, autonomy, user involvement, and rigidity in scheduling. In contrast, the Person-Centred Care (PCC) model presents an alternative approach to care provision, emphasising the active participation of the care recipient, involvement of the family, flexible scheduling, as well as a close relationship between users and caregivers. This approach requires reorganising facilities into smaller, more compact, self-contained units, known as living units.

Lessons Learnt from Testing Three Spatial Observation Tools in a Hospital Ward.

Observation tools are increasingly important in healthcare building design research. They enable us to understand how the design of healthcare buildings affects users' health and organisational outcomes. Observations are used in case studies and pre- and post-occupancy evaluations.

[What about extending Specialised Health Training to architecture and engineering?].

Projects and construction management in healthcare facilities are usually assigned to architectural firms and engineering companies with previous experience. However, there is no evaluation system to ensure their level of competence in the healthcare sector. In the past, this was also the case for clinicians when they were self-appointed specialists without any supervision.

Benchmarking Relevance for Hospital Design and Planning: An International Web-Based Survey.

Objective: The study aims to investigate what design practitioners and healthcare facility managers deem as important benchmarking metrics worldwide, investigating country differences in benchmarking usage and which metrics are prioritized.

Background: Benchmarking is a regular practice in the healthcare sector, both for clinical and managerial aspects to compare, measure, and improve standardized processes. However, limited knowledge is available about benchmarking procedures in hospital planning, design, and construction.

[Impact of hospital architecture on the birthing experience: a phenomenological study with mothers-to-be who are design experts].

Background: The birthplace has a crucial role in shaping the childbirth experience and mothers' satisfaction levels. This study aimed to identify the experiences and perceptions that may have an impact in the long-term on mothers' birthing experience, considering hospital design features in the birthing environment until discharge.

Methods: Inductive thematic analysis of twenty-five hospital labor testimonies employing a phenomenological research approach and utilizing a biographical method.

Architectural design, facilities and family participation in neonatal units in Spain: A multicentre study.

Aim: The architecture of neonatal units plays a key role in developmental strategies and preterm outcomes. The aim was to evaluate the design of Spanish neonatal units and its impact on the participation of parents in neonatal care.

Methods: A web-based survey was sent to all level III Spanish neonatal units, including questions about hospital data, architectural design, facilities and family participation.

Hospital Architecture in Spain and Italy: Gaps Between Education and Practice.

Aim: The research sheds light on the challenges and limitations of Spanish and Italian hospital design by looking at the gaps between education and practice.

Background: Hospital design plays an important role in providing high-quality and cost-effective facilities for any healthcare system. Spain and Italy face contemporary challenges (i.

[Evidence-based design accreditation and certification program for healthcare architecture reaches Spain].

EDAC stands for Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification and identifies individuals able to apply the evidence-based design process for healthcare buildings. This process consists of basing design decisions on credible research to achieve the best possible outcomes. What differentiates this design process from others is its emphasis on using research both to inform a priori and to evaluate a posteriori design decision.