Insights
Jun 22, 2021 _ insights
Oncology Evolution: Planning for the Future of Cancer Care Facilities
Cancer care is poised to undergo some fundamental shifts in the years ahead. Not only do the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) expect the number of cancer cases to grow by 20% in the coming decade, but the way that healthcare organizations approach treatment is changing as well. Treatment is moving out of departmental silos towards an ever-expanding and more integrated spectrum of care that offers everything from diagnostic screenings to symptom management, palliative care, and survivorship.
I recently published an article in Health Facilities Management that describes how we can think beyond individual cancer care spaces and instead design platforms for comprehensive care. This isn’t just co-location of services. It’s building the infrastructure to:
- Create truly collaborative environments where specialists work together to formulate comprehensive care strategies, easing care handoffs, and preventing specialists from being isolated from the rest of the team
- Create spaces that provide the array of supports—from specialists to social services, pharmacies, financial planning, and counselors—patients need to focus healing
- Create supportive work environments to ease the stress of healthcare providers
- And provide flexible facilities that enable healthcare systems to get the most value out of their cancer care spaces (from universal clinic design that enables multiple departments to flex into a space to multipurpose social spaces that enable patients to relax, seek out additional services, or participate in educational programming).
To learn more about how design can be used to help create a platform for transdisciplinary cancer care, read the full article here.
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Angela Mazzi, FAIA, FACHA, EDAC is a principal and medical planner in GBBN’s healthcare market. Harnessing studies on human psychology, research on our biological need for nature, and experience with LEAN strategies, Angela creates exceptional environments that help patients heal and empower professionals to deliver exemplary care.
