In one year of pandemic we’ve seen remarkable transformations in health care delivery.
Practices that were once on the periphery, such as telemedicine and touch-free check-in, have become routine even for many patients who might have resisted them in pre-pandemic times. At the same time, health providers were forced to quickly redesign layouts of their facilities because of new demands from social distancing.
Post-pandemic, Simone Healthcare Development expects most health providers to convert temporary social distancing measures into permanent policies. In the short term, social distancing reminders like floor markers and hand sanitizer stations will remain. As health providers turn to longer-term and more expensive social-distance solutions, we’ll see an overhaul in waiting room design, as providers replace old furniture with seating that is easy to wipe and disinfect. Waiting rooms may also expand, as the need to accommodate safely distanced patients continues.
In future construction or renovations, we may see buildings with wider hallways or multiple, one-way hallways with doors or turnstiles that only permit one-way entry or exit. More examination rooms and waiting rooms will become negative pressure environments. The need for negative pressure will require enhanced ventilation systems with new air-filtering technologies.
Simone Healthcare Development welcomes this transformation in health care delivery because all patients deserve peace of mind when seeking essential care and preventive medicine.