Research on the Planning and Design of Med–Small-Sized Hospitals in China Based on Patient Perceived Value in the Context of Healthcare Model Transformation

Abstract

China’s aging society has led to a major transformation of the healthcare model from traditional therapeutic medical care to life support healthcare. Med–small-sized hospitals (with 20–299 beds) are expected to play a major role in this transition compared to large hospitals. However, hospitals often take 3–5 years or more from design to construction. In order to guide architects in planning and designing for future needs, this study aims to identify the key points of planning and design that can enhance the value of med–small-sized hospitals in terms of functional configuration, spatial environment, etc. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted on the perceived value of 600 patients in Nanjing, China. The data were used to construct a structural equation model (SEM) of perceived value for med–small-sized hospitals in China. There are 24 observed variables in six dimensions, including cost value, functional value, social value, cognitive value, patient satisfaction, and patient loyalty. The final SEM indicates that optimizing functional configurations and spatial environment design can significantly increase the value of hospitals, while patients’ willingness to go to the inpatient department is quite low. Finally, based on the survey findings from Nanjing, we proposed four optimization strategies: (1) promoting diversified development and collaboration based on regional characteristics, (2) optimizing functional configurations, (3) maintaining an efficient and concise patient experience, and (4) optimizing the inpatient department.

Keywords

• med–small-sized hospital planning
• transformation of healthcare
• life support healthcare
• patient perceived value
• structural equation modeling (SEM)