Healthcare demands will always be a growing concern. Designing an effective and caring healthcare facility is an intricate process; it needs to meet a full range of activities, from routine exams to life threatening emergencies.

Historically the design of a healthcare facility, whether a hospital or an aged care community, has not considered in-depth the impact of spatial design on the quality of the patient experience or on their healthcare outcomes. Along with improving the patient experience this provides a unique opportunity to use current and emerging evidence to improve the physical environment in which nurses and other caregivers work, and thus improve both nurse and patient outcomes at the same time.

For healthcare facility managers, the emerging aim is to keep patients safe and in a welcoming environment that enhances quality and patient satisfaction. A healthcare design trend we continue to see requires creating spaces that reflect calmness and strive to ease the patient's journey.

Ahead of Queensland Healthcare Week, and the Health Facilities Design and Development Summit 2019 we take a look at the 5 biggest healthcare interior design trends and explore how five Australian healthcare providers are leveraging these trends.