Evidence-based Design (EBD)-tool

Healthy buildings with a positive effect on safety, efficiency and well-being

Besides medical intervention, the quality of health care is also determined by the environment in which staff and patients work. Research into Evidence-based Design demonstrates that an appropriate design may improve the patient's healing process and alleviate the growing pressure on care services. EGM has in-house expertise to design buildings with measurable positive effects.

The origin of Evidence-based Design

Evidence-based Design (EBD) stems from Evidence-based Medicine and establishes links between specific environmental factors and efficiency, safety or wellbeing by using scientific research. EBD is used as a foundation by Healing Environment and Planetree. Application of EBD contributes to increasingly predictable healthcare outcomes in a new building or a renovation.

The process en objectives

Evidence-based Design (EBD) focuses on the effect of the design on safe care, an efficient care process, contented patients and happy employees. In this multidisciplinary process design decisions are substantiated by scientific research and always considered as part of the overall aims. EGM balances EBD findings from previous research with other design considerations such as flexibility, sustainability, the client's identity, specific user requirements, urban or rural context and the aesthetic quality to design for positive outcomes. As mentioned before, a good design based on EBD can improve the healing process and alleviate the growing pressure on care services. What does that mean in real terms? One example is the positive influence of sunlight or daylight on the patient's healing process and the working conditions of employees.

Patient and staff

There is a verifiable link between a room facing the morning sun and the duration of a hospital stay. For instance, Joseph at al (2006) found that the stay at an inpatient ward of patients with a bipolar disorder was reduced due to the orientation of the window in the room (morning or evening light). There is a verifiable link between sunlight in the workplace and stress reduction. The workload for staff in healthcare is high, and their wellbeing is crucial in multiple ways. EGM designs for an appropriate entry of sunlight in the right places of the building.

Our expertise

EBD knowledge is developed and shared at various organisations in the Netherlands. EGM architects shares knowledge and/or cooperates with TNO, BNA Onderzoek, Technical University of Delft and lectures at among others. We also cooperate with Fontys College and Maastricht University on a research project about the nursing home of the future. In addition, EGM contributes to knowledge development through structured evaluation research in hospitals and other projects. For this purpose, a number of our architects have successfully completed and EBD course at the Center for Health Design in the US, earning them an EDAC certificate.

Conclusion and practice

We have developed an EBD tool to support organisations to make the right decisions when designing for a new building or renovation. The tool provides access to structured valuable scientific and practical knowledge about the connection between design and health. And as a result, we make buildings for our clients that function (even) better. EBD was developed in healthcare and based on evidence-based medicine, but EBD can be applied in many sectors.