In a hospital, two types of failures can compromise patient health and safety and even result in serious injury or death: active failures and latent failures. An active failure is a human error—a mistake made by staff. Active failures typically result from a violation of procedure or from staff fatigue. A latent failure, on the other hand, is a flaw in the procedure itself or in the building’s design that results in patient harm. Reducing both types of failures is a top priority of hospital administrators, so they look to architects for building and interior design strategies that can help reduce accidents. Active failures are addressed by designing more comfortable, supportive spaces for staff, while latent failures are focused on early in the building design phase to create an efficient overall layout that fosters smooth operational flows.
Hospital Interior Design Trends that Help to Limit Failures While many overall hospital design tactics can help reduce active and latent failures, architects must address specific areas in different ways, depending on patient care requirements and operational flow. So, it’s important for designers to consult and collaborate with administrators and staff to understand the unique needs of each space.
