Commercial Architecture May 2017 - 14

healthcare

FEATURE

everyone else in the facility, Berman suggested.
Another staff amenity that seems simple but which is

Ken's V I E W

often overlooked is lockers or other personal-effects space.
"If you think about it," Berman said, "everyone shows up for

Buddy, Can You Spare 13 Seconds?

work with cell phones, purses, briefcases, and a host of other
things that need to be put away in a secure, out-of-the-way
space. It declutters the workspace, and people understand
what they can bring to work and what they can't."
"In suburban areas, where people drive, they can leave
stuff in their cars, but in New York City, if you commute

I

was scanning the headlines not long ago for some

escalator is going to make that much of a difference

news that wasn't political or overly controversial

in your day? Are you that tightly wound? Here's an

when I came across an item about a study that sought

idea. Perhaps you should get up 15 minutes earlier, not

using public transportation with a gym bag, it's a real puzzle

to determine if walking or standing on escalators was

dawdle around checking Facebook and Twitter, and not

where to put it in some facilities. It ends up cluttering patient

more efficient.

stand in line to order that fussy, overly expensive cup

areas," he noted.

OK, that's interesting and it can't arouse too many

of coffee. There you go. Problem solved. Now you have

Even the smallest touches can make a difference, Berman

passions, I reasoned. Wrong. Only a few days went by

plenty of time to stand comfortably on the escalator,

said. He described a specialty clinic where the physicians were

until the story was picked up by several who indeed had

take a few deep breaths, and not annoy other people

booked into the same workroom, the same time slot, every

a very strong opinion about it. "Monsters" one writer

with your overly aggressive, me-first attitude.

day. The even had a drawer where they could leave a few

called escalator standees. He or she then proceeded

Yes, you annoy other people. While you say that

things, maybe as simple as a prescription pad, some business

to castigate standees for being inconsiderate, not

standees make you angry, you don't stop to consider

cards, and a couple of pens. The support staff was also the

decent human beings, and (gasp) misguided. Those

for a moment that you're in the minority, selfishly

same every time the physician was at the facility.

denunciations fall considerably short of the monster

expecting the majority to get out of your way. One

allegation of the headline, but this is the Internet after

study showed that an average of 75% of escalator

all; headlines are seldom well supported by content.

users stand, while the walkers comprise only 25% of

"It set up an esprit de corps and a comfort level that was
consistent from week to week and day to day. We got a lot of
positive follow-up comments on that from people who had

Our intrepid writer stumbled on, even admitting

users. What's more, most of the standees have been

worked in clinics where they didn't have a consistent space

that standing, taken in the aggregate, might have an

conditioned to stand to the right, leaving the left side of

to work and they were sort of floating," Berman said.

advantage over walking - but insisting that didn't

the escalator open for walkers - who somehow feel
entitled to this courtesy.

Having just a little control over their environment, like

necessarily make it better. Huh? Then why was walking

window shades or controllable task lighting, as well as some

better? The author seemed unable to say, babbling only

access to daylighting and views are beneficial to caregivers as

that the walkers hadn't read the research and were

Thirteen seconds, that's what. According the New

well, Berman added.

enraged because some "jerks" were in their way. He

York Times, a London Underground study showed that

Are you ready for what's really at stake here?

"Healthcare design is moving toward a holistic ap-

or she then quoted Jerry Seinfeld, the guy who once

when 40% of the people walked (still not a majority),

proach that looks at programmatic needs, human psy-

did a TV show about nothing. Seinfeld's reasoning was

the average time for standees was 138 seconds and

chology, and family support to heal both body and mind.

that since there are no talking bears and singing pirates

46 seconds for walkers. On the other hand, when

Focusing attention on the needs of the caregivers rein-

to see, escalator users should just move on. Thanks,

everyone stood, the average time fell to 59 seconds.

forces the belief that patients and staff will benefit from a

Jerry. Great insight.

Walkers lost 13 seconds but standees gained 79

healthy well-designed environment," Payette's Milly Baker concluded. CA

Want more information? To download the information
listed below, visit commercialarchitecturemagazine.
com/1705caregiver.

Worker Safety in Your Hospital (OSHA)
Facility Guidelines Institute
American College of Healthcare Architects
The Center for Healthcare Design
Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
American Nurses Credentialing Center

14

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

MAY 2017

commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

The author, and Seinfeld, quite overlooked that

seconds. Researchers also found the length of the

many people may have very good reasons for standing.

line to reach and step onto an escalator dropped to 24

Perhaps they have asthma or a heart condition. Maybe

people from 73.

a bum knee or a bad back. Maybe they're just really,

Who's the monster now? Who's inconveniencing

really tired from working three jobs to make ends meet.

whom? You walkers can't afford to give up 13 seconds

Or listening to people who think Jerry Seinfeld is an

for the common good? And don't tell me you're doing

expert on anything. Who knows? Should not they be as

it for the exercise. It's still self-centered, and if it were

entitled to stand as walkers think they are to walk?

true, you'd use the real stairs or go to the gym.

The one argument people make for walking is that

Will walkers be swayed by studies, statistics, facts,

it is faster - for the walkers, that is. It slows everyone

or perhaps civility? Almost certainly not, unless it's

else down. More about that in a moment; don't be

proven there really are talking bears stationed along

impatient. It's like those people whom I wrote about

escalator routes.

some months back who "hated" revolving doors and

But I do have a suggestion to make escalators

so avoided using them. No logical explanation was

more efficient. Do away with the double-wide moving

forthcoming about why they "hated" the doors, but I'm

stairs and make them single-lane models. It might be a

now betting that they perceived that the doors slow

bit more costly, but that way there will be no "walking

them down.

lane," and those who insist on walking will have to use

That brings up another point. Are you seriously in
that much of a hurry that a few extra seconds on an

the actual stairs as nature intended.
- Kenneth W. Betz, Senior Editor
http://www.commercialarchitecturemagazine.com/caring-for-the-caregivers/ http://www.commercialarchitecturemagazine.com
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