Physicians and nurses play a critical role in shaping the spaces where care happens. National standards, such as the CSA Z8000 standard for Canadian health care facilities, are valuable resources that help health care providers speak the language of design and ensure that clinical realities are reflected in the built environment.

Evidence-based decision making for hospital spaces

If you’ve ever walked into a newly built clinical space and thought, “This layout doesn’t make sense for how we work,” you’re not alone. In addition to clinical guidelines, national design and construction standards act as planning tools with sound evidence to help ensure physicians’ voices are heard during hospital design.  Canadian design and construction standards complement clinical practice guidelines in many ways. Using them in harmony better guides the design of health care facilities. But more importantly for physicians, it’s a way to translate clinical workflows into sound architectural decisions.

Use of standards in day-to-day planning

Here are a few scenarios where national standards can make a difference:

User group consultations: When you’re asked to weigh in on a new inpatient unit or outpatient clinic, and you have very little supporting evidence available in literature or a clinical guideline, the CSA Z8000 can act as a guide, providing space-requirement tables that help you understand the must-haves and nice-to-haves in a clinical space.

Clinical adjacencies: Have you ever had to walk across the unit to access a supply room or consult room? Sound decision making using evidence helps planners design layouts that reduce unnecessary movement and improve patient flow.

Equipment planning: If you’re involved in selecting or approving medical equipment, the CSA Z8000 standard can help ensure the space will accommodate what’s being ordered, so you don’t end up with a machine that doesn’t fit through the door.

Functional program alignment: It’s easy to get lost in architectural jargon. Design and construction standards bridge that gap by aligning design elements with clinical needs, so you can advocate for what matters most—safe and efficient patient care.

How to access the standards

Developed and published by an independent, not-for-profit organization (CSA Group), national design and construction standards are written in a way that’s accessible to clinicians. If you’re interested in reviewing them for an upcoming project, you can request access through your health authority library services or capital planning department.
—Nikhil Kanamala, MBA
Equipment Planner, Biomedical Engineering, Northern Health, Prince George

This post has not been peer reviewed by the BCMJ Editorial Board.