Simulation Enhances Safety Evaluation in the Design of New Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare is a complex system where dynamic and unpredictable interactions of system components contribute to errors. In the design of a new healthcare facility, there is a need to increase levels of safety evaluation throughout all phases of hospital development as a means to manage risk. Simulation effectively represents the dynamics of care delivery in order to identify and remediate latent conditions in the built environment or work system prior to patient exposure. Emerging literature suggests that the integration of human factor approaches with simulation-based activities has the potential to aid healthcare systems in achieving higher quality care. Simulation-based Hospital Design Testing (SbHDT) and Simulation-Based Clinical Systems Testing (SbCST) are applied in order to proactively identify latent conditions related to the built environment, work system, or care processes; ensure operational readiness; and ease transitioning healthcare systems by promoting preparedness. Incorporation of simulation into the hospital development process places safety at the forefront of planning. By proactively identifying architectural or system weaknesses, corrective actions can be taken before harm occurs. This review discusses how simulation grounded in safety and architectural design concepts enhance safety evaluation during the development process.