Design Bugs Out
Patients expect hospitals to be clean and safe
Good design can help make that happen by developing furniture and equipment that’s easy to clean and easy to use. If hospital equipment and furniture is designed to be easy to clean and easy to use, it will stay cleaner — and therefore help reduce the risk of infection.
In 2009, four designers teamed up with British manufacturers to develop five new pieces of hospital furniture. By sharing research and expertise, each team designed a functional product that makes cleaning quicker and easier and eliminates dirt traps.
A team from the Royal College of Art also tackled six everyday items of hospital equipment that pose a hygiene risk on the ward because they frequently come into close contact with both staff and patients.