Healthcare organizations are demanding more information and data in the pre-design stages of projects.

While architects and designers have an array of tools at their disposal to help provide that information in a timely manner, Vincent Della Donna, director of healthcare services, Gannett Fleming Architects and Engineers (Camp Hill, Pa.), says there’s one he’d like to see more people using: simulation modeling.

“It’s well-known in other industries,” he says. “[Healthcare] is in the early stages of adoption but it’s catching on and more healthcare architects and designers are understanding it.”

Using simulation modeling arms users with more operational and historical information about the client, which can be used to better understand the clinical implications of a project, identify trends or assess issues, such as resources, space requirement, and logistics.

During next week’s Healthcare Design Education Day, (Tuesday, June 24), Donna and presenters Steve Langston, design director, RLF (Orlando, Fla.), Susan O’Hara, president, O’Hara HealthCare Consultants (Marlborough, Mass.), and Robin Clark, simulation specialist/analyst, QMT Group (Oak Ridge, Tenn.), will use a series of project examples to illustrate the process and benefits of simulation modeling during their webinar, “Tools of the Trade: New Tools for a New Healthcare Reality.”

Their discussion will include how it can be used in multiple stages of the design process, including master planning, project planning, and post occupancy evaluations.

“It provides a sand box to play with so you can see how changes will affect the system,” Clark says. “This can be used to study systems that currently exist as well as those that don’t exist yet.”

For more information and registration details on this and other Healthcare Design Education Day webinars, visit healthcaredesignmagazine.com/webinars.