This is one of the most complex buildings to design. A hospital is a compound of a wide range of activities and while it may not be limited to a single building, the logistics of designing a hospital are very complex and need to take into account a million different factors from patient care to doctors to the actual functions such as surgery, emergency services, and laboratories while still remaining clean and a pleasant place to be at. As an architect, these are not easy dimensions to conquer. The emotions of the patients and their visitors alone are fairly spread across a range of emotions and catering to or assisting these emotions while still remaining a sterile environment is no easy task. A hospital also has a wide range of specialized services which require separate and unique support systems and machines to function.
Assuming the zoning has been done properly, the attention to minute details in designing a hospital is of paramount importance. From the functions around medical beds of in-house patients to transfer bed in the operating rooms, the requirements are complex and very different from one to the other. The patients of various wings from cardio to orthopedics to pediatrics, the functions around even the patient beds change and need to be taken into consideration when designing a hospital. The operating rooms and emergency rooms are a whole different ball game where they need to be stocked up and within easy reach of certain support functions such as the blood banks. They also need to be cleaned out fast and made room for a complete different surgery or medical emergency from the previous one and thus need to be of a multifunctional nature. Check out emergency stretcher, go to this link.
The various aspects that need to be taken into consideration when designing a hospital are vast and complex. While there are specialized architects who solely deal with the design and refurbishment of hospitals, if in the case as a student or as an architect you are asked to design a hospital, the first thing to do is to go stay at one. Stay a few days in each wing and learn the way of things and the order of functions. The requirements of a patient can be understood by reading. However, the mental condition in which they are at along with their visitors is far more complex and cannot be understood via a single paper. The nurses and doctors are not far different as a profession of people who work under a severe amount of stress on a daily basis and are still expected to perform miracles.