Ann Sloan DevlinTransforming the Doctor's Office
Principles from Evidence-Based Design
Ann Sloan Devlin is the May Buckley Sadowski '19 Professor of Psychology at Connecticut College, New London, USA. She has published extensively on healthcare environments, investigating how perceptions of the built environment influence judgments of care and comfort. She has written three other books, most recently What Americans Build and Why: Psychological Perspectives (2010).
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Role of evidence-based design
The patient-centered care movement, Planetree, and the Center for Health Design
Green design, sustainability, and technology
ADA and HIPAA
The role of evidence
Unifying themes in this book
A call to action
Chapter 1. Office Location, Signage, and Identity: Where and Who You Are
Overview: Schemas and patients' expectations
Location
Signage
Parking
Exterior landscaping and image: An overview
Chapter 2. Arriving, Waiting, and Taking Vitals: Setting the Stage
Overview
The spatial continuum: From entrance and reception to interior spaces
Reception space: Expectations and functions
The waiting room: Territoriality, personal space, and privacy
Lighting
Furnishings
Staff areas
The toilet room (restroom)
Chapter 3. Consultation and Examination Spaces: "You Feel Healthier When You're Dressed"
Overview
Anxiety and the medical consultation
Models of consultation
Privacy concerns: Overview
Illumination: Properties of lighting and dynamic lighting systems
Personalization in the office suite
The psychotherapist's office: Continuous consultation and examination
Consultation and exam spaces: A century ago
Chapter 4. The Ambient Environment: Changing the "Sick People's" Atmosphere
Overview: The waiting room should "lose its 'sick people's' atmosphere"
Ambient characteristics: Control, positive distraction, and personalization
Giving patients control and permission
The senses: Visual stimulation and positive distraction
Nature: The real deal
Music as positive distraction
Complimentary food and beverages
Other senses
Safety in the medical suite: By regulation and by association
Closing thoughts
Further reading
Index.
