Important Terms

Healthcare facilities design responds to and incorporates the specific terms used by facilities that provide Environments for Healing. The following are a few key terms that are often involved in the design of healthcare facilities.

Ambulatory Care: Healthcare that is provided on an outpatient basis (patients who do not stay overnight).

Access: The ability of the patient obtain medical care. Ease of access depends upon the availability of services, the location of facilities, transportation, hours of operation and cost of care.

Acute Care: Healthcare that concentrates on the treatment of immediate and severe illness or injury. Acute care usually is provided by specialized personnel and involves sophisticated technical equipment. Acute care is often necessary for only a short time.

Birth Center: A specialized Environment for Healing that features a unique program of care designed in the wellness model of pregnancy and birth, and provide family-centered care before, during and after normal pregnancy, labor and birth.

Census: The number of inpatients who receive care per day on average.

Circulation: The pattern of foot and equipment traffic within a healthcare facility.

Dialysis Center: A specialized facility that concentrates on the treatment of kidney ailments.

Life Cycle Cost: The total cost of a product for its useful service life, including initial cost of the product, maintenance, and the overall performance of the product.