what As the patient experience becomes more important than ever, it's time to remedy one of healthcare's biggest pain points- the waiting room ARE WE waiting B Y JO A N S UC HO M E L WITH ALL OF the things in healthcare one could worry about, how is it that waiting rooms have risen to a prominent position in the hierarchy of concerns? Yep, waiting rooms. ΒΆ One of the first spaces patients and families encounter, the waiting room is traditionally considered a necessary element in every hospital and medical facility, yet it rarely drives the planning process and seldom is subjected to a rigorous review. At best, architects and planners typically follow codes and/or guidelines to determine the number of seats per whatever unit of the area it serves, and then try to make it look nice while accommodating 44 NOVEMBER 2016 for HCDMAGAZINE.COMhttp://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM