The Center for Health Design Blog

Happy HEALTHCARE DESIGN

The HEALTHCARE DESIGN.09 conference starts tomorrow in Orlando, FL. Every year, I look forward to this gathering of our industry — seeing old friends, making new friends, checking out the latest and greatest healthcare products, and finding out the latest ideas and thinking about designing healthcare buildings.

It’s a packed four days, and for me, much of it is spent meeting with our partners, volunteers, and other supporters of The Center for Health Design’s work. We’ll have a booth near the conference registration area, so if you’re attending conference, please stop by and say hello to our staff and learn more about the work we’ve been doing in 2009.

There are also several educational sessions and roundtable discussions on our EDAC (Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification) program and various research projects. Many of the partners in our Pebble Project research initiative are also presenting. (Go to this page on the EDAC website to download a PDF of Center and Pebble Project related sessions.)

I’ll be tweeting from the conference and hopefully will have time to do a few blog posts as well. See you in Orlando!

Accreditation or Certification: What’s the Difference?

Recently, Planetree certified five architecture and design firms as part of it’s new Visionary Design Network. According to its news release, this certification “establishes these firms as specialists in evidence-based healthcare design following the Planetree philosophy and its core components of healing design; such as welcoming a patient’s family and friends, valuing human beings over technology, enabling patients to fully participate as care partners, and fostering a connection to nature and beauty.”

I think this is a great way for Planetree to recognize design firms that have successfully implemented the Planetree philosophy and help promote evidence-based design. To ward off any confusion in the industry, it is important to note that the process it is using to qualify these firms as “specialists in evidence-based healthcare design” is different than EDAC accreditation.

To apply for certification and become part of the Planetree Visionary Design Network, candidates fill out a self-assessment tool that includes a section on evidence-based design. They answer questions about their firm’s experience using evidence-based design research; whether they have utilized resources from The Center for Health Design, EDAC, Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), or other research-based organizations; published results; and how they have used research to inform design projects.

Once the application is reviewed and accepted, interviews are conducted with firm principals, followed by a project site visit by representatives from the Planetree Design Advisory Council. If all goes well, firms are certified and become part of Planetree’s Visionary Design Network.

EDAC accreditation, on the other hand, involves educational training in which candidates learn about the evidence-based design process, and then take an exam to test their knowledge of that process. The exam, which was developed by a diverse group of industry professionals with the assistance of a psychometrician (experts in developing multiple-choice questions for qualifying a certain level of knowledge) is administered by a third party.

Design firms who commit a certain percentage of their healthcare team to study and take the EDAC exam are being recognized as EDAC Advocate Firms. Those who took the beta test are EDAC Champion Firms.

As best as I can tell, in the design industry, certification means a person or entity conforms to the requirements specified in a certain standard. Accreditation is formal recognition by a specialized body of a certain level of knowledge. In this sense, Planetree certification and EDAC accreditation can support one another.

The American College of Healthcare Architects and the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers offer certification programs that refer to evidence-based design principles, but do not focus on teaching the evidence-based design process. They are also different from EDAC in that they are specific to the architecture and design profession.

The National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) and National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) test knowledge of architectural and interior design practice and are required to become members of professional associations such as the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Interior Designers — as well as become registered architects and interior designers. To my knowledge, there is nothing on those exams about evidence-based design.

And of course there is the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program, which accredits individuals on their knowledge of sustainable design principles and certifies green buildings. There are clear intersections between eco-effective design and evidence-based design for healthcare, but I’m not sure this is addressed in the LEED examination either. Like EDAC, LEED accreditation is open to more than just architecture and design professionals.

I’m also aware that there are many, many other accreditation and certification programs for healthcare professionals, but that’s a horse of an entirely different color.

What do you think the difference is between accreditation and certification, and the various programs I’ve mentioned here?

Only A Few Weeks to Decide

HEALTHCARE DESIGN.09 conference is about three weeks away. Have you decided whether or not you’re going?

I was in the office of a top healthcare architecture firm a few weeks ago and a principal told me they were still making decisions on who were going to attend. They knew that they were sending people; had just not determined who.

It’s been a tough year for conferences. Attendance at most industry events has been down 20-30% from last year. People are watching their travel dollars and cutting back on “extras.”

And while we’re not out of the woods yet, there are signs that things are getting better. Someone recently described the economic crisis and where we’re at right now to me as a massive forest fire. The earth is charred and damaged, but slowly, new growth starts to happen. It takes awhile for it to mature, and it may never be what it once was.

Pulling back only works so long. You’ve got to get out there and market to new clients, sell to new clients, and keep up with where the industry is headed. Conference is a relatively inexpensive way to do that. It’s a great learning opportunity where you can tour facilities, network with your peers, earn CEU credits, meet with potential clients/business partners, kick the tires on multiple products, etc.

There’s no substitute for it anywhere else.

Wish List for Graves-Parker Conversation

The webinar conversation between architects Derek Parker and Michael Graves several weeks ago was totally cool (see my September 15th blog post). Among other things, Derek told some of his “war stories” as a healthcare architect and Michael mused about his own experiences as a patient and how that has influenced his work.

Although they have never met, it was clear that both of these accomplished men respected each other. The conversation was very cordial and convivial. And yet, I’ve been thinking about some of the things I would have liked for them to have discussed.

I wanted to hear more about how design can influence behavior, and why that is important in healthcare facilities and in product design. Graves, who is confined to a wheelchair and spent many months in hospitals must have an interesting perspective on this.

Parker’s healthcare buildings do not embrace any one style, although they do lead more toward modernism. Graves is known for his post-modern style. It would have been interesting for them to discuss what a Graves-designed hospital would look like. Would it mimic the Dolphin Hotel or the Portland Building?

And what about Graves’ opinion on “starchitects” like himself designing hospitals? A hospital is such a specialized facility with very different programmatic needs. Is it right to expect that a design style can transcend this? Is there a place for signature architecture in healthcare? What do you think?

Both Parker and Graves probably also have fascinating views about the evidence-based design movement in healthcare.

Graves, who is a keynote speaker for the HEALTHCARE DESIGN.09 conference in Orlando, October 31-November 2, undoubtedly will delve deeper into some of these topics. He’s also going to be introducing a new product line at the conference, which he is keeping a secret until the event.