Designing behavioral health facilities for the better care of patients
Over the years, there has been a paradigm shift in the design of psychiatric hospitals. Behavioral health institutions were once designed to demonstrate an institutionalized model with unwelcome facilities and décor. They have been transformed into light-filled, comforting, and private environments that resemble hotels and resorts more than medical facilities. The shifting psychiatric hospital designs give rise to a core question: What and how could the hospital design cater to patients’ needs and social patterns?
What is behavioral health?
Although behavioral health and mental health are often used interchangeably, there are distinct differences between the two concepts. Instead of more than a patient’s psychological state, behavioral health concerns their physical condition as well. Behavioral health is considered a vast field, in which typical examples include autism spectrum disorder, dementia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Behavioral health incorporates mental health issues and investigates how behavior may have influenced someone’s physical and psychological well-being.
Image by Mount Sinai via www.mountsinai.org/
Stigma of behavioral health hospitalization
In modern days, people are generally prone to suffering from behavioral health issues. The Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore[1] revealed in 2020 that the average
[1] Ministry of Health, Singapore (https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/what-are-the-demographics-of-patients-receiving-psychiatric-treatment-and-mental-health-support)
number of subsidized outpatients with mental health conditions was about 60,000 per year between 2016 and 2018.
Regardless of the rising needs for psychiatric healthcare, psychiatric hospitals might still be off-putting to potential users as these hospitals are associated with the image of restricted, confined, and unwelcoming facilities. According to the MOH, there was a delay in mental health treatment from the onset of symptoms to seeking professional advice. Stigma and lack of mental health literacy may be attributed to the reluctance to receive psychiatric treatment. In this connection, psychiatric healthcare practitioners see a paramount need for refining the seemingly sterile designs of behavioral health facilities.
Image by Mount Sinai via www.mountsinai.org/
Change of behavioral health designs
Behavioral health facilities have adopted hospitality-oriented designs to offer a more comforting and relaxing environment with concern for patients’ dignity. As a result, architects design more welcoming and less “institutionalized” spaces to enhance the patient experience. Such renovations include securing personal spaces for patients, providing access to natural light, and offering an open-concept design with safety glass walls. In this case, the safety and privacy of patients and staff are still maintained to alleviate the stigma and stereotype of psychiatric hospitals among society.
Improving hospital designs could optimize healing effects and expand the therapeutic benefits of psychiatric healthcare services by shaping a welcoming and noninstitutional experience. St Andrew’s Autism Centre from Singapore and El Camino Health from the U.S. are two pioneering examples to illustrate the prevailing landscape of the behavioral health industry.
Case study 1: St Andrew’s Autism Centre, Singapore
Providing educational, medical and social support to people with special needs, St Andrew’s Autism Centre[1] aspired to provide an optimal and carefree environment to their users in mental health conditions. For instance, the classrooms are equipped with observation and calming rooms. Teachers, students, and caregivers could hence interact freely and fully without obstructive observation or violation of privacy. Besides, outdoor garden spaces and access to walking paths are promised so that students, families, and staff can spend time on privacy and wellness.
[1] ONG&ONG (https://www.ong-ong.com/projects/civic/st-andrews-autism-centre-singapore/)
Image of St Andrew’s Autism Centre by Ong & Ong via www.ong-ong.com
Image of St Andrew’s Autism Centre by Ong & Ong via www.ong-ong.com
Case study 2: El Camino Health, the U.S.
El Camino Health[1] from the United States endeavors to refine its treatment spaces with respect and compassion to users with special needs. For example, the facility
[1] Healthcare Design (https://healthcaredesignmagazine.com/projects/photo-tour-behavioral-health-center-taube-pavilion/#slide-5)
installs light fixtures and timed controls that let color temperature change to stabilize patients' moods and sleep patterns.
In terms of safeguarding patients, the custom doors of the facility can be removed quickly in case of emergency during the treatment. In addition, shattering is less likely to happen thanks to the tamper-proof screws and the laminated safety glazing of the windows. In this regard, patients could receive proper medical treatment with dignity without compromising their privacy and safety.
Image of El Camino Health by Healthcare Design Magazine via www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com
Image of El Camino Health by Healthcare Design Magazine via www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com
Apart from the aforementioned facilities, creating a safe behavioral health environment could as well be handy with the selection of ligature resistant products. Free from sharp edges or potential catch points, ligature resistant door hardware has rounded surfaces and low profiles designed to maintain the level of security of rooms and protect in-house patients from potential safety hazards. By tapping into these ligature resistant doors and frames, behavioral health facilities could enable staff to access a room quickly without compromising the safety of patients and staff.
The above cases and products may serve as insights as the efficient integration of safe behavioral health facilities and open design for the privacy and dignity of patients. It is believed that more and more behavioral health facilities may refine their designs to meet potential users' needs by taking references from practitioners and relevant products so that every patient could be adequately treated in a compassionate, safe, and respectful environment.
Q1: What is the difference between behavioral health and mental health?
A1: Behavioral health concerns more than a patient’s psychological state, but also his/her physical condition.
Q2: How can healthcare designs help patients with behavioral health issues?
A2: Healthcare designs can ensure the safety of patients and staff and alleviate the stigma and stereotype of psychiatric hospitals among society. The hospital designs can also optimize healing effects and expand the therapeutic benefits of the psychiatric healthcare services.