When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment where it grows, not the flower - designing the ideal ICU

Introduction: ICU survival rates continue to improve. Survival, however, does not always equate to full recovery. Survivors commonly have ongoing physical, cognitive and psychological complications. The physical and psychosocial environment can impact ICU patients and their families profoundly. Despite large recent improvements in medical care, there have been no similar advances in ICU design. With evidence demonstrating that noisy, bright and busy ICU environments negatively affect patient recovery, experience and longer-term outcomes, it is critical that the environment is re-conceptualised to meet patients’ recovery needs.

Objectives/Aims: The aim of the project was to design an improved ICU bed-space that is a recovery focused environment for clinicians, patients and their families, optimising the quality of survival and providing an improved journey for patients having to spend time in an ICU.

Methods: The project used a co-design process, informed by data collection using mixed methods methodology involving collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Current ICU environmental factors was monitored, including light, sound, acoustics, temperature and activity around the bed-space. The impact of the environment on the incidence of delirium, patients’ sleep and mental health outcomes were investigated. Patient, family and staff interviews were completed to develop a detailed understanding of what matters to the patients, ensuring the improved ICU bed-space was designed around their needs.

Results: All data were collected, analysed and summarised, and explored in a 2-day multi-disciplinary stakeholder workshop. Our team of clinicians, researchers, builders, architects, and technological companies used a co-design process to create solutions to the problems identified, with patients and families involved in every step of the process. These solutions were integrated into a new ICU bed-space design.

Conclusion: Using co-design and participatory methodologies we have developed an improved and innovative ICU bed-space design, created to optimise clinical efficiency, patient experience and outcomes.

Building the ICU of the Future novel bed space at The Prince Charles Hospital. Findings from the study and design of the prototype will be implemented into two need bed spaces at The Prince Charles Hospital’s Adult Intensive Care Unit in late-2022.

Reshaping the ICU experience so patients THRIVE.. not just survive.