Environment at the forefront

Decarbonization was a popular topic at the 2022 PDC Summit. Healthcare facilities are known to be heavy producers of carbon, and their operators are being tasked with finding solutions to mitigate their environmental impacts while also operating within budget and infrastructure constraints.

From our discussions with equipment vendors, it’s apparent this issue is also very much on their mind as they are seeking a means of developing systems that are less dependent on fossil fuels. They do however feel we are some time away from becoming all-electric as a result of the aforementioned constraints. Either way, the industry appears to be determined to take on the challenge of decarbonizing healthcare and reducing its footprint.

Importance of Resiliency

Developing flexibility and resiliency to adjust and adapt to challenges is important to members of the industry. This was discussed in several topics, including:

• Adjusting the usage of ambulatory surgical centers to become more akin to hospital outpatient facilities.
• Applying knowledge developed from recent tragic events/crises to inform space programming strategies.
• Accommodating emergency preparedness.
• Understanding the potential benefits of employing creative project delivery/contract strategies along with the realities and impacts of current supply chain issues and labor shortages.

These topics indicate a greater demand for design and construction professionals to be capable of providing creative and flexible solutions to their clients’ problems while staying informed on the financial and schedule impacts of decisions.

Data-Based Decision Making

A common theme at every PDC Summit – and still holds true today – is the continued focus on patient experience. Healthcare providers are developing a means to generate and evaluate data to develop services, facilities, and operations/management to promote a more positive patient experience. Data analytics can help point to specific improvements within a facility that can equate to a more focused, cost-effective approach for the provider on top of a better patient experience, resulting in healthier communities.

As design professionals, we share in this goal and feel the patient experience is just as much our responsibility as it is our clients. To that end, it is important we be aware of such initiatives and findings our clients are investing in understanding so we can appropriately advise them to make informed decisions with known expectations.