Space planners' perception of an assessment instrument for briefs in the pre-design phase of new healthcare environments.

OBJECTIVE

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the usability of a newly developed instrument designed to assess the content and quality briefs (CQB-I) in programs for new healthcare environments. We studied the perception of using the instrument on a group of space planners.

BACKGROUND

The study is part of a larger project designed to ensure the quality of the planning of new healthcare environments with a focus on documents (programs or briefs) created in the early phases of the planning process. In this study, we used an instrument that measures the clarity of the mission statement for the project based on user needs and care activities that will take place in the new healthcare environment. The instrument further evaluates whether there are clear patient-related outcome measures specified and whether the information in the documents is person-oriented and evidence-based.

METHODS

The study used a mixed-method design where the relevance and usability of the instrument was estimated and a focus group interview was conducted.

RESULTS

The study showed that a CQB-I is perceived to be a relevant instrument primarily as a guide for programming, but also for monitoring the produced programs.

CONCLUSIONS

Instruments like CQB-I can help to bring research results into planning and contribute to dialogue and collaboration in the early phases of a planning process by orienting planning participants to user needs and facilitating the discussion and articulation of clear performance indicators.