Book Review: A Visual Reference for Evidence-Based Design

Abstract

A Visual Reference for Evidence-Based Design by Jain Malkin. Concord, CA: The Center for Health Design, 2008, 350 pages, $199.00.One of the chronic weaknesses of the design professions-in particular architecture and interior design-has been a tradition of approaching each project as a unique problem. Even worse, some of the profession's leaders and their clients believe that superior design talent can overcome a lack of experience in a particular building type. There has been too little respect for real environmental design research, too little effort put into learning from each project, too few resources devoted to capturing that knowledge in a form that can be reused, and only sporadic attempts to use that knowledge base consistently as the foundation for a more informed design solution for future projects. The cliche that a firm's assets walk out the door each evening is too true when applied to the design professions.Many, however, believe that the built environment can make a real difference in the quality of the lives of the people who use these buildings. Healthcare is only one such building type. Jain Malkin and the The Center for Health Design are two of the most effective advocates for this issue. With the support of the Center, Jain has published a book that is an important contribution to the movement in the design professions to capture and build on design research and experience. A Visual Reference for Evidence-Based Design is a very good addition to the limited library of really useful healthcare design texts. Moreover, it is not just for architects, interior designers, industrial designers, and other design professionals. It is also written to be used by hospital administrators, medical researchers and academics, policy makers, and other healthcare professionals responsible for creating and maintaining healthcare environments.Jain Malkin is the founder and president of a California-based interior architecture firm. She and her firm specialize in healthcare design. She is a respected national leader in the field and a prolific writer, teacher, and lecturer on healthcare environments. Thus, she is an appropriate spokesperson for the cause of evidence-based design in healthcare.The book is organized into 10 chapters. The first five define evidence-based design, outline research methods, discuss the particular problems of patient safety and infection control, indicate how some existing research can be incorporated in design, and provide an overview of how to create a positive patient experience in a healthcare environment. The remaining five chapters discuss how to apply existing evidence-based design knowledge in five major areas: staff spaces, patient units, diagnostic spaces, treatment spaces, and spaces for patients with cancer. All chapters incorporate not only Jain's extensive personal knowledge, but also lessons learned by other healthcare design leaders. …