User-Centred Design Approaches for Planning Inpatient Room of Geriatric Long-Term Care Hospitals: Design Factors with Practical Suggestions

Abstract

Evidence-based design (EBD) has traditionally guided health care facility design to improve functional workflow from health care professionals' perspectives. However, it is hard to apply EBD concepts in a specific hospital, such as a geriatric long-term care hospital in South Korea where there is a need to provide services based on geriatric patients' characteristics. This study aims to suggest design factors with practical suggestions for inpatient rooms in a geriatric long-term care hospital in South Korea from the user-centred design (UCD) perspective which covers a wider range than EBD by including the patients' perspective. In order to accomplish the goal, we conducted the following steps using qualitative research methods because geriatric patients have a limited capability to adequately respond to questions. First, evaluation criteria from a UCD perspective were optimized after analysing literature. Second, a field study was conducted, which proposed a case study, expert interviews and user-centred research. Finally, the design factors with practical suggestions were provided after the evaluation.