Interior Design Promotes Healing
At Tampa Area Hospitals

Superior medical care and state-of-the-art technology traditionally are what medical facilities tout. New hospitals are now as likely to hype ‘round the clock room service, private patient rooms outfitted with flat screen TVs and in-room refrigerators and “architectural design to help people heal.”

The days of hospital stays in tight quarters with little more than a bedside desk and chair for décor are no longer the norm. New facilities offer individual patient rooms that are more spacious, much quieter and fully wired to allow internet access, plug-and-play music systems like those on an airline’s armrest and even on-demand movies.

Patient comfort is one of the prime motivators for this shift to more chic overnight accommodations and recovery rooms. Research indicates hospitals that are less institutional and more conducive to relaxation can benefit patients as well as medical personnel.

“By being more patient-centered and family-focused we create an environment that changes the way you feel about hospitals,” said Paula McGuiness, Chief Operating Officer for St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. “It’s more about the experience and making it one that provides a great environment with an element of elegance as well as a sense of serenity.”

The full service, environmentally friendly St. Joseph’s facility that opened last February in Lutz features lots of natural light, healing gardens for meditation and soothing colors carried throughout from the interior walls to the medical team member uniforms.

“We wanted to create a clear picture in people’s minds that we care about every aspect of their care,” said McGuiness.

For Lisa Hawk, whose now eight-year-old son has spent untold months in hospitals from the time he was just two day’s old, comparable changes incorporated into the new All Children’s Hospital in downtown St. Petersburg have provided him, as well as his family members, welcome relief.

“Excellent medical care is still the single most motivating factor for selecting a hospital but All Children’s has really taken the child’s emotional health and well being into consideration,” said Hawk, who serves on the hospital’s Family Advisory Council.

The 10-story, 259-bed facility that first welcomed patients from the former 42-year-old landmark facility in January, collaborated closely with parents like Hawk to select everything from bed sheets to video games.

“They gave us some great options to choose from so they really weren’t far off track but it was phenomenal to be able to give them our perspective. We were part of the equation,” said Hawk.

One element incorporated into the building design to help eliminate feelings of isolation or boredom that youngsters may endure during their hospital stays is an internal broadcast system that lets live concerts and performances staged in the hospital’s auditorium be viewed by patients who may be bedridden or otherwise unable to attend. Parents even have a separate TV, with headsets, so they can watch another channel without disturbing their child.

“We were not trying to be like a hotel but more of a healing environment by paying lots of attention to the environment, therapeutic treatments and psycho-social issues,” said Tim Strouse, vice president of operations for All Children’s Hospital. “When a child is away from home the experience may be frightening and they may be undergoing painful or unpleasant procedures. We just wanted to mitigate that as much as possible.”

“We try to not just treat the child but the whole family,” said Strouse. “We provide point-of-care service that helps with the child’s overall wellbeing.”

The 340,000-square-foot Bayshore Pavilion, added to Tampa General Hospital (TGH) in 2007, designed all five floors with patient comfort, convenience and privacy in mind, an accomplishment achieved without creating prohibitive costs. Waterfront views to public areas featuring works commissioned by nearly 100 Tampa Bay artists were integrated into building plans to lighten and brighten the new space.
“Creating a better healing environment did not increase the cost of the building project. We were expanding and building the Bayshore Pavilion anyway so we just decided to do things differently,” said Deana Nelson, TGH chief operating officer. “By deciding up front to put more focus on creating a healing environment, we were also able to build a better space to work in and provide better care.”

More sunlight, less direct, harsh lighting and TVs that can be tuned to relaxation channels are some of the ways the patient experience was further improved at TGH.

“A great medical staff and having great care providers, whether it is the nurses, physicians or other staff members, is paramount in my opinion, but science shows that a calmer and less stressful environment promotes healing. And working in such a healing environment enhances the ability of these professionals to practice their trade,” Nelson added.

– By Mary Lou Janson


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