Hospitals of the Future
Health facilities play a major role in shaping the delivery of health care. They can provide therapeutic, patient-friendly environments, or they can act as barriers to effective provision of care. While other health system components - people, knowledge, and technology - have received much attention from researchers, the financing, design and organisation of health buildings have been almost ignored.
In collaboration with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, EuHPN has carried out a major study on the relationships between capital investment, service redesign, and the physical nature of health facilities.
The study encompasses:
- A series of case studies from across Europe, each illustrating a core issue facing those investing in hospitals and other health facilities
- Human resources for health
- Developments in primary care provision
- A review of capital financing across the EU.
EuHPN and the European Observatory are planning publication of two books: one devoted to the case studies; the other consisting of thematic analysis. Dissemination of the findings will be further supported by a series of workshops, to be held in different locations across Europe.
The thematic analysis, titled Investing in hospitals of the future, has now been published, and can be downloaded in pdf form from http://www.euro.who.int/observatory/Publications/20090323_1.
The book of case studies can be downloaded from http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E92798.pdf.
