Designing physician offices to support caregivers

The physician office should be a safe harbor for the patient and for private and lower-stress conversations between caregiver and patient.

Patient-centered policies and business models are fundamental to the future healthcare delivery system. Thus, the physician office should be a safe harbor for the patient and for private and lower-stress conversations between caregiver and patient.

There are several design considerations for designing staff rooms:

• These spaces do not have to be assigned private offices but if unassigned must be easily reservable by physicians.

• Especially if shared (unassigned) an adaptable private office space with ergonomic seating and a height-adjustable worksurface can be easily adjusted to fit all users’ physical needs, reducing physical strain and stress, improving the quality of staff experience.