As the first interface that people come into contact with in architectural space, furniture can directly and effectively meet the user's needs for space and carry the most practical use functions of the architectural space.

In the process of architectural integration design, architectural products, design environment, and user needs are the three core design elements of the architectural design communication system (as shown below). When balancing and coordinating the relationship between users, furniture, and architecture, furniture design is even more important.

As we all know, hospitals have the most complex functions among all types of buildings, and the relationship between the main building, design environment, and user needs is also closer. Unlike civilian furniture, in a complex medical environment, medical furniture carries more spatial expression and functional requirements. Therefore, the factors that need to be considered in the design of medical furniture are also more complex and diverse.

At present, the national high-quality development strategy drives China to build better hospitals. As medical furniture is an important part of hospital buildings, we have also begun to think about how to make better medical furniture.

How can medical furniture help build smart hospitals in the future, promote high-quality development of hospital buildings, and promote the overall upgrade of the medical environment? We need to consider the following four aspects:

1. Customization

At present, in most cases, medical furniture procurement is passive and filling. The most direct disadvantage of this model is the lack of in-depth thinking on the functional requirements of medical furniture. In fact, medical furniture requires a professional design team to combine the habits and needs of doctors and patients, target different departments and spaces, integrate color psychology, functional requirements, material requirements, etc., and output customized medical furniture design solutions for each hospital building.

Medical furniture has five core values in medical buildings, as follows:

1) Ability to shape space;

2) functional identification of space;

3) Optimization of spatial organization;

4) Balance and coordination of architectural space;

5) Soothe patients’ emotions and promote doctor-patient relationship.

2. Professionalization

Medical furniture is an auxiliary tool for medical treatment. Therefore, for each medical building project, a professional medical furniture design team needs to be formed, such as professional medical furniture designers, medical expert consultants with clinical backgrounds, etc. More importantly, this design team needs to conduct in-depth communication with the directors of various departments and head nurses at the front line, explore usage needs, and tailor-make overall medical furniture solutions for different medical spaces and buildings. From the analysis of medical workflow, space division and layout suggestions, color matching creation, subdivision of medical furniture functions, selection of environmentally friendly materials, space accessories, reasonable furniture furnishings, etc., the hospital building is truly built into a healing space with more hospital characteristics, in line with hospital culture, and humanistic care.

3. Humanization

Humanization is the combination of science and art, technology and humanity. The ever-changing science and technology allow us to design products with stronger structures and better functions, while integrating artistic sense and humanity into products makes medical furniture more vital.

The humanized design of medical furniture must meet the needs of doctors and patients. For example, the barrier-free communication area next to the nurse station is designed for wheelchair patients; the arc treatment of the diagnosis table is to prevent patients from bumping into it; the armrests of the diagnosis table are convenient for elderly patients to stand up; the high and low tables of the nurse station are convenient for doctor-patient communication; the pull-down wall cabinet design of the treatment cabinet is convenient for nurses to use, etc. At the same time, the humanized design will also use green, environmentally friendly and safe materials as much as possible.

4. Intelligence

With the rapid development of the Internet, 5G, and AI, the consumption needs of hospital customers will continue to upgrade. Integrating technology into medical furniture, using Internet of Things technology, and innovating intelligent and smart furniture functions can make the use of medical furniture more convenient, efficient, and vital. In the future, the mode of medical treatment in hospitals may change, such as appointment-based medical treatment, telemedicine, Internet hospitals, etc. The way people seek medical treatment, diagnosis and treatment modes, and payment modes will all change, so our medical furniture also needs to keep pace with the times.

For example, the intelligent clothing management system used in medical operating rooms adopts technologies such as intelligent robotic arms and facial recognition; the intelligent blood collection and labeling machine used in the physical examination department adopts automatic test tube screening technology; the automatic examination beds and intelligent curtains used in the consulting room use voice recognition technology, etc.

Therefore, in the process of high-quality development of medical buildings, medical furniture needs to be considered from the aspects of customization, specialization, humanization, intelligence, etc., and always adhere to the people-oriented design concept, so as to truly assist the construction of future hospital buildings and jointly create a healing space with more hospital characteristics, in line with hospital culture and humanistic care.

Shenzhen Dayin Medical Technology Co., Ltd. is not only a furniture producer, but also a key force in the construction of future smart hospitals and promoting the upgrading of the medical environment.