We all have a healthcare experience. Sometimes it’s a joyous occasion, like when James Beukema stood by his wife’s side as they welcomed their baby girl into the world. Other times, it’s as a patient. And frequently, it’s to support a loved one as Ryan Ramos experienced when his mother was hospitalized with Alzheimer’s.
Beukema and Ramos are two of the millions of people every year who end up spending time in a healthcare environment. They also happen to be part of a team designing spacial solutions for Steelcase Health. They have spent their careers developing a rich understanding of how the healthcare environment can help support people who spend time in hospitals, and their personal experiences add to the empathy they feel for the people who rely on their healthcare designs.
Beukema and Ramos work within a unique set of constraints. They must consider health code, cleanability, functionality, physician convenience, storage and space optimization. And yet, despite these challenges, they are tasked with creating a better healthcare experience.
First-hand experiences helped Beukema and Ramos relate to an issue in the healthcare industry today: the care partners’ burden. Beukema recalls spending the night in the hospital after his daughter was born.