This issue of the Perkins&Will Research Journal includes a dedication to John Haymaker, our Director of Research, who took our practice to the next level, keeping us endlessly curious and consistently cutting-edge, and three articles that offer insight into different research topics—research that aims to provide insights into the myriad factors influencing the need for psychiatric crisis services as to how design can be leveraged to support human-centered care, a design checklist that will help the community to improve their maternal health system and avoid preventable deaths and complications for birthing mothers, and a study with the intent to propose relevant solutions for the challenges COVID-19 brought to the aging population as they attempted to access their healthcare needs virtually.
“Care in the Time of Crisis: Designing for Patients with Behavioral Health Needs in the Emergency Department” presents research focused on specialized patient care models that guarantee immediate access to psychiatric care and connect patients with ongoing support which improves overall emergency department patient throughput resulting in decreased wait times and length of stay. It also reduces utilization in admissions and readmissions and reduces the total cost of care for behavioral health patients and makes provisions for quality acute care for patients in crisis.
“Reimagining Birthing Unit Design: A Qualitative Study to Improve Women’s Birthing Experience in Hospitals” aims to identify and explore the links between design practices with an intent to resolve the issue of maternal mortality with the purpose of reimagining spaces that are designed for birthing models and solve the physical challenges that evolve during care provided to birthing mothers.
“Impact of Virtual Healthcare on an Aging Population: Future of Care Delivery for the Elderly” showcases the challenges faced by the elderly population brought upon by the innovations in technology and other environmental design factors post-pandemic as it pertains to their healthcare needs. It highlights the urgent need to rethink the design of the built environment to make it truly inclusive and universal for the well-being of the aging population in the present and the future.
