Muddling Through the Built Environment to Preserve Patient Safety and Well-Being

In health care services, patient safety and well-being (PSW) are known to be influenced by the built environment (BE). In this chapter, the proposition is made that the functions performed by technical, organisational and human actors play a moderating role between BE and PSW. BE attributes such as size of workspaces, layout and environmental comfort may either support or hinder those functions, affecting PSW in different ways. The Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) is adopted for modelling the connections between BE, functions and PSW. A case study of an intensive care unit illustrates the applicability and utility of the proposed approach. Implications for resilient health care are discussed.