Many healthcare systems across the globe are working to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients to improve outcomes. According to the National Institutes of Health, translational research typically begins “at the bench,” with basic research in which scientists study disease at a molecular or cellular level then process to the clinical level, or the patient’s “bedside.” Johns Hopkins University Medical Center has noted from their research that one barrier to translational research is not having the proper resources—including space, equipment, and technology—to make research more translational (Weston, et.al, 2010). Healthcare providers are now looking to the design community to help create infrastructure that supports the implementation of clinical and translational studies. For architects and designers, understanding the interrelated components of translational research can afford a better design response. The design of the physical environment plays a critical role in this acceleration by integrating spaces for collaboration, maximizing flexibility and adaptability, and improving patient experience and recognition.
Collaboration
Collaboration among scientists, physicians, and patients is leading to new innovations and scientific advances that did not occur previously when research groups worked in isolation. It has become clear that partnership among multiple disciplines is essential in tackling today’s most pressing health issues. The new Center for Science and Medicine building at Mt. Sinai’s campus in New York City (opening in 2013) will redefine translational healthcare. By creating a space where patients and scientists coexist in a common facility, and by seamlessly integrating clinical and basic science research with an ambulatory care center, clinicians, scientists, and educators will be united in a truly cooperative way. To accomplish this, the new building is intended to facilitate interactions through the integration of educational spaces, lounges, informatics/bio-statistic computer facilities, basic science research spaces, and other dedicated research centers.
The consideration of the circulation system, interaction nodes, and organization in relation to clinical areas is a key design principle in promoting the level of collaboration necessary between academic and clinical research teams. At Mt. Sinai, the translational model is embedded in the overall section of the building. The atrium space that begins in the main lobby and encloses the waiting areas for the clinical suites feeds up into an interactive stair connecting the lab spaces. This stair serves gathering spaces on each floor that are offset to provide a visual link connecting multifloor research neighborhoods. The clinical spaces comprise a cancer center directly related to the oncology research being performed on the two floors directly above. The proximity of the clinical floors to the research space above engenders a connection between researchers and clinicians by reinforcing the value of the research in treating patients. The architectural resolution of this connection is embodied in the continuity of the atrium space.
Collaboration often occurs through “chance” meetings, whether the conversations are around coffee bars or copy stations, or when passing a colleague in the hallway. When opening in 2012, the new Neurosciences Laboratory and Clinical Research building on the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Mission Bay campus will have bridges on the upper levels that connect office areas to laboratory areas. The bridges were intentionally designed to support encounters with seating areas located along the path with power and data sources.
Flexibility
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