How personal experiences in hospitals can influence designers and planners

Healthcare designers and planners often draw inspiration from their own lives: parents with diabetes and Alzheimer’s; a child in the hospital for surgery, a sibling struggling with a neuromuscular and autoimmune disorder. By applying personal perspectives to their work, Pagers improve hospital and medical facility experiences for all.

Read their compelling stories in full in Medical Construction & Design authored by Mary Loftus, Sr. Manager for Health Sciences Content. The below content has been edited for length. 

Annabella Koloskov

Annabella Koloskov, Senior Medical Planner

Annabella shares how her family’s multiple medical crises have illuminated the importance of wayfinding in a hospital setting, underscored the need for open design and easy access, and emphasized the importance of helping families feel comfortable when visiting loved ones.

“Everyone needs a comforting, well-designed space when receiving medical care,” Annabella says. “That’s why clear wayfinding is so important in designing a facility that is easy to navigate and doesn’t add to the family’s stress.”

Kahtura Fernander

Kahtura Fernander, Designer II

Kahtura shares how her sister’s childhood battle with an incurable neuromuscular and autoimmune disorder inspires her to create safe, nurturing hospital environments – filled with light, art, and uplifting design — for pediatric patients and their families.

“My own family’s experiences have made me better able to communicate to healthcare clients when (and why) I feel something might need to be adjusted or changed in the design,” she says. “I pay attention to the details clients provide, and if something doesn’t align with what I feel would improve the experience, I share my opinion, perhaps with a story or anecdote.”

*Featured image by Jim Roof