SUPPORTING THE FAMILY IN THE PATIENT ROOM

Today, it’s widely recognized that family members are vital to the healing process and their continual presence is encouraged to promote involvement and partnership. Moreover, families are often invited to move beyond a visitor role, and participate in care as they are able, learning while assisting and getting a head start on post-discharge care.

Explore the research

FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE UNMET NEEDS

So while family presence is proven to be beneficial, what’s less well understood is how the built environment can potentially support the family member in the patient room. Steelcase recently completed a research initiative around this issue and found that, in general, healthcare environments can do more — sometimes much more — to support the roles that family members undertake.

Patient room observations and insights

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES

A product solution must be safe, cleanable and work in a variety of footprints. We wanted to design a product that supported family member well being, and their experiences in the patient room:

• A product that offers many ways to sit, lounge, and lay down
• Support connections between the patient and family member
• A product that helps family members feel comfortable and supported
• The flexibility to customize and personalize the experience – for the healthcare organization and the family member

Find out more