When scrolling through the HEALTHCARE DESIGN Twitter feed, I noticed a video posted by Karlsberger called “Capacity through Design – Andy Day – GE Healthcare Next Level.” In it, Andy Day discusses designing healthcare facilities, specifically in relation to healthcare reform and the problems it aims to address. Day makes an interesting comment:

You have to design the physical infrastructure to match your operating strategy and your care delivery plans. There isn’t one best design. There’s a best design for a certain care delivery model and a certain operating strategy.

When I first heard it, I didn’t think much of it. But when I applied the comment to the ideas of evidence-based design (EBD), I got to thinking: Though there is evidence to universally support some design solutions—e.g., the prevalence of natural light—is it possible that some of this evidence only supports specific design solutions vis-à-vis a facility’s established culture and work flow?

What are your thoughts? How important is it to balance a hospital’s culture and work flow with the established principals of evidence-based design? Does one take precedent over the other if they conflict? Watch the whole video below:

(HT @KarlsbergerArch)