Page 14 - Layout 1

ARCHITECTURE
& DESIGN

continued from page 13

Rural Health Clinic Expansion / Medina Regional Health System /
San Antonio, Texas (THW Design San Antonio)

Access to holistic design via the art of
medical technology
From medical equipment to security, the technology is constantly
evolving. The “art of engineering” has taken hold in the technology
being installed within today’s healthcare facilities. It has even be-
come a sculptural expression. This trend needs to continue. The el-
ements of design aesthetics are part of our daily lives. Within
healthcare, these elements become objects of focus. Whether a
medical gas column or the backbone to a cardiovascular telemetry
system, these objects are essential to the art and science of medi-
cine. They are the perfect opportunity for the expression of ART
in the engineering of medical technology as a further means to en-
hance the experience.
A simple example of this is when each of us has been to an ap-
pointment with our PCP (Primary Care Physician). While in the Interventional Radiology Lab / Metropolitan Methodist Hospital /
San Antonio, Texas (THW Design San Antonio)
exam room, think about what you recall viewing and studying: exam
room cabinetry, sink, implements, sharps container, stool, exam The driving common denominator in this is that the designer can
table. All these items are the tools of healthcare. The question to make every effort to employ sensitivity to the varied levels of ex-
be asked is: what is their application to the appreciation for design perience to be had by the patient, the family member and the physi-
within this very personal environment? If it did not meet the ele- cian. Such a deliberate and intentional act of practice is no longer
ment of “delight,” it could have. In another example, in the design an option. It can be done. It must be done.
of a new Interventional Radiology Lab, virtually every aspect of I believe Vitruvius would agree.
the patient experience is considered via the enhancement of visual
display platforms, lighting, temperature and almost “Star Trek-like” Carlos N. Moreno, AIA is Healthcare Divison Leader and Managing Di-
features in every system to be installed. rector of THW Design San Antonio.

14 San Antonio Medicine • September 2018