In our last blog post, we explored some of the technologies that will create the smart hospitals of tomorrow. This month, we’ll look at how, as designers, we can plan for future innovation while also addressing some of the potential pitfalls to which adopting new technologies can lead.

In one of our recent company-wide Friday Morning Breakfast workshops, the Parkin team looked at the potential of smart technology in the healthcare sector. We also discussed possible challenges and implications that these innovations might have for patients and staff in the future. Technology will transform the healthcare sector and designers can ensure that decisions made today have positive impacts on patients and staff in the future. Read more

Smart Hospital Design: Technology’s Potential Impact on the Future of Healthcare (part one)

Quickly advancing digital technological innovations are changing the game in healthcare design. Emerging technologies offer the opportunity to improve operational functioning and patient care. As designers, we’re always aware of the operational concerns about the impact these innovations can have on the human-based elements of healthcare, such as a reduction in face-to-face interaction and employment of hospital staff.

In our recent company-wide Friday Morning Breakfast workshop, Parkin explored some of the potential applications of smart technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare design. Workshop participants across the country explored several thought-provoking questions about how healthcare operations could be helped or hindered by such technologies. We discussed how design can best leverage available and soon-to-be-available technologies, and what potential challenges these could present for  patient care, healthcare employment opportunities, and equal distribution of quality patient care. Read more

Over the past century, the development of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (“NICU”) has played a significant role in reducing the infant mortality rate. Before the first NICUs were built, premature and sickly babies were simply sent home with their families and assumed to be lost causes. Today, babies who are born at a gestational age of just 23 weeks have a fighting chance not only to survive but to thrive.

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In Canada, one in five children under 18 has a mental health concern, yet only one in six can gain access to the care they need. In the face of the ongoing pandemic, these numbers are increasing at an alarming rate. In a recent survey, 70 percent of children and youth reported worse mental health during the initial Covid-19 lockdowns. Meanwhile, Toronto’s SickKids Hospital has seen a 120% increase in ER visits for mental health concerns as the pandemic has continued.

Covid19 has had a huge impact on the mental health and well-being of many Canadian children. With the closure of schools, switching to online learning, stress of months of isolation, and missing out on important life events and milestones like graduation, children are feeling the impact more than ever. Read more

At the November 2021 COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Canada committed to net-zero emissions by 2050. Healthcare is one of the top carbon emitters around the world and, in 2022, Parkin is prioritizing research into how healthcare infrastructure in Canada can do better. Using the Global Roadmap for Healthcare Decarbonization developed by Healthcare Without Harm as a catalyst for these investigations, we will leverage our extensive experience in institutional planning and develop strategies to tackle the decarbonization of new and existing healthcare facilities.   Read more

As we look back on 2021, we would like to thank our staff, partners, and all team members for their hard work and dedication over this past year. This year as we settled into a new way of working, it has been rewarding to be able to contribute our services to the community and work with amazing teams.  We look forward to the coming year and the opportunity to achieve even more together in 2022.

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