The New Patient Pavilion (NPP) marks a historic opportunity for Penn Medicine to set a new benchmark for care delivery. The design of the new hospital is currently underway with construction beginning in late 2016.
The PennFIRST team, comprised of experts in health care design and construction, has set out to design and develop an innovative facility that will offer improved health care delivery and transform patient experience for years to come. To accomplish that goal, they enlisted the help of those most knowledgeable about patient needs and what is required to deliver world-class care and facilitate outstanding experiences – Penn Medicine employees.
Launched in May 2016, the New Patient Pavilion Challenge sought to crowdsource ideas for the design of the new building. Over the course of four weeks, 186 ideas to improve patient care, education, and experience; increase access to technology; ensure efficient navigation and operational flow, and support staff wellness were submitted. In addition, more than 700 ratings and 115 comments were logged on the Your Big Idea platform.
In line with their commitment to data-driven design, the Penn HealthFirst team will explore the feasibility of the winning ideas by running pilots, conducting interviews and user testing and staging simulations over the coming months. Ideas that show promise during the exploration phase will move forward towards implementation in the new space.
Learn more about the winning ideas below, and stay up to date on the construction process by visiting the New Patient Pavilion website. If you’d like to share feedback, have a question, or want to submit additional ideas, please send the team a message at HUPNewHospital@uphs.upenn.edu.
Winning Ideas
- Climate control and fresh air, Dionne Bright
- Mobility progression tracking: imperial or metric distance measuring markers in hallways, David Bendell
- Red floor level lighting for patient room navigation to minimize sleep disruption, David Bendell
- Quiet door latches, Cathy Sirawsky
- Communication boards, Heather Inch
- Easily accessible patient and family health education, Maureen Bonnell and Carolyn Cutilli
- Digital agenda, Jonathan Crincoli
- Videos in each patient room, David Bendell
- Patient education library, Christine Cambareri
- Patient and family briefing room, Yvette Grier
- Improving patient flow with traceable ID bracelets, Francesca Carvalho
- Information-robust, scannable patient ID bracelets, Kristin Quinlan
- The rainbow connection, Katrina Sawicki
- Quality of life space, Fern Nibauer-Cohen
- UV light decontamination closets, Kristin Quinlan
- Security at all entrances, Benjamin Cobb
- Staff meditation and renewal suite, Megan Melick
- Minute clinic, Cyndi Baigis
- Accessory charging, Diana Santangelo
- Convenient electrical plugs, Antonina Sheehan
- Charging stations and phone lockers, Jacqueline Soegaard Ballester