Doctor turned designer shares on-the-road insights via EHD 2024 podcasts

Sunand Prasad OBE, programme director of European Healthcare Design, and architect and principal of Perkins and Will, explains how new technologies are becoming commonplace in our daily lives, and shares his thoughts on what is required to ensure we don’t make mistakes when introducing these into the healthcare space. Dr Paul Barach, an anaesthetist, critical care physician-scientist, public health researcher, and senior lecturer at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, focuses on worker burnout and poor staff retention, and why talking about these things at a design conference is essential. And Gareth Drake, a clinical psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, reflects on why we need dedicated spaces for private conversation and emotional processing in hospitals, both for clinicians and patients.

In the latest episode, ‘Exploring the sensory hospital’, Rolake focuses on the use of art in healthcare.

First up is Peter Shenai, a creative strategist from Art in Site, who challenges us to rethink hospital environments beyond visual aesthetics, explaining how incorporating auditory, tactile, and olfactory elements can mitigate sensory harms and enhance patient experiences. Next, visual facilitator Paola Rozo describes her approach to visual documentation, how it captures collective intelligence, and how it fosters reflective processes key to patient care. And finally, Martin Jones, director at Art in Site, discusses his vision for designing inclusive sensory hospitals, emphasising the need to balance tangible data with creativity to design human-centred healthcare spaces.

To listen to these podcasts, ‘European Healthcare Design 2024: Revolutionising healthcare spaces’, and ‘European Healthcare Design 2024: Exploring the sensory hospital’, click through to any of the five podcast platforms via Rolake’s website, Brand New Dr.