Hospital design principles implementation: Reflections from practitioners in Thailand

Abstract

Due to the inherent complexity of medical service procedures, safety standards, and functional requirements in healthcare facilities, numerous design principles have been advocated for more systematic and straightforward design practices. However, most of them are established in developed economies. There is a scarcity of practitioners’ perspectives on their implementation process, difficulties, and outcomes in other socio-cultural conditions. Therefore, this research reflects the realization of these principles in Thailand. It does so by literature review, hosting four public discussion forums in Bangkok, thematic analysis, and data triangulation with case studies. Despite many hospital design principles established, this research shows that it is still a chaotic task to execute them in different contexts. As some may conflict with the national health system, practitioners have to both scrutinize the principles and acquaint themselves with the existing system before balancing, prioritizing, and deciding whether to follow, adjust, or deny the principles. This decision-making process also varies from hospital to hospital due to health disparities, site constraints, local culture, and laws and regulations. This research forms an understanding of healthcare facility design in developing economies and reveals some dilemmas. It also paves the way for future research on hospital design principles localization.