What if we could identify hospital safety risks before the walls are ever built?
In this episode of The Architecture of Healing, Chase Miller talks with Dr. Nora Coleman, a pediatric critical care physician at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta whose work connects clinical care, simulation, patient safety, and healthcare design.
Dr. Coleman shares how simulation was used during the design of the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital to test workflows, uncover safety risks, and understand how clinicians interact with space before construction was complete.
Key Takeaways
- Simulation can test the performance of a healthcare environment, not just the people working in it.
- Full-scale mock-ups can reveal safety risks and workflow problems that are difficult to identify in meetings or drawings.
- Design decisions should be evaluated based on risk, efficiency, and patient safety, not just preference.
- Larger healthcare facilities can significantly affect staffing, travel distances, supply access, and operations.
- Clinical care, technology, staffing, operations, and the built environment need to be planned together.
Why This Matters
Healthcare spaces actively influence how care is delivered. Decisions about room layout, equipment, supplies, travel distances, and support systems can either make care easier and safer or create additional work and risk for staff.
Testing those decisions before construction gives healthcare teams an opportunity to identify problems while they can still be changed.
Resources Mentioned
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Arthur M. Blank Hospital - Arthur M. Blank Hospital | Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
The Center for Health Design - chd | The Center for Health Design
Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design - Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
Women in Healthcare - Promoting the Professional Development of Women in the Healthcare Industry - Women in Healthcare
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) - What is FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)? | IBM
About the Guest
Dr. Nora Coleman is a pediatric critical care physician at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Her work focuses on simulation, patient safety, human factors, healthcare operations, and the relationship between clinical care and the built environment.
Connect with Nora Coleman:
Nora Colman | LinkedIn
About the Podcast
The Architecture of Healing explores how healthcare environments can better support the people who give and receive care.
Learn more:
https://TheArchitectureofHealing.com
Connect with Chase H. Miller:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-h-miller/
Subscribe to The Architecture of Healing for more conversations about creating safer, more human-centered healthcare environments.
