The Academy of Architecture for Health Foundation (AAHF, part of the American Institute of Architects) has announced Georgia Tech's SimTigrate Design Lab and Herman Miller Healthcare as the recipients of the Foundation’s 2014 annual research grant. The pair were selected for their research proposal “Designing Team Spaces to Support Collaboration and Communication in Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH).”

“We are honored to have been selected for this grant,” said Craig Zimring, director of SimTigrate. “Healthcare is a constantly evolving field, and this research will go a long way to ensure that patients get optimum care in these new types of facilities.”

As healthcare moves to models of collaborative, multidisciplinary care in outpatient settings, many clinics are creating open team rooms intended to support care coordination. However, there is considerable evidence that shows that open workspaces can actually decrease communication if not properly designed and suited for the tasks, culture and technology of an organization. The $10K grant will fund research focusing on designing team spaces in outpatient clinics to support the implementation of the patient-centered medical home care process.

The project will include the documentation of case studies, development of metrics and criteria to help design teams assess success, and a full-scale mockup in the SimTigrate Design Lab. The findings will be presented at Healthcare Design 2015.

“We are going to examine what the critical factors, care flow, and considerations affecting communication, collaboration and staff satisfaction are,” said SimTigrate Design Lab Associate Director Jennifer DuBose.  “Our end goal is to provide design information that will be immediately usable by architects and their clients.”

The AAHF is dedicated to furthering excellence in healthcare architecture through financial support of educational and research programs. Its mission is to enhance the knowledge and effectiveness of those who create healthcare environments through the funding of critical educational and research activities.