Clinical planning · 8 minute read
Planning clinical flow before drawing rooms
Why healthcare teams should make pathways, queues and operational assumptions visible before a room list hardens into a plan.
Knowledge / Research & practice
Better questions.
Better care environments.
Research briefs for the people who plan, lead and design healthcare—connecting evidence, operations and the built environment.
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The OC Architects knowledge practice
Evidence translated for consequential decisions.
We examine the research behind healthcare planning and design, identify what is known and what remains uncertain, and turn it into useful questions for project teams.
Latest research brief
Issue 01 · July 2026
Research agenda
What we are investigating next
Evidence-based design
What counts as evidence in healthcare architecture?
A practical framework for distinguishing strong findings, promising signals and project-specific assumptions.
In developmentAdaptability
Planning for change without planning for everything
How standards, zones and loose-fit decisions can create useful flexibility without unnecessary area.
In developmentStaff experience
The workplace behind the care experience
Connecting staff movement, respite, visibility and teamwork to the everyday performance of care settings.
In developmentOur editorial standard
Useful, sourced and honest about uncertainty.
- 01Define the question
State the decision the research is intended to inform.
- 02Show the evidence
Link to sources and distinguish findings from interpretation.
- 03Translate carefully
Explain implications without turning association into certainty.
- 04Name the limits
Make assumptions, gaps and local validation needs visible.
Monthly from OC Architects
One considered article.
Once a month.
Research and practice notes for healthcare leaders, planners and designers. No weekly noise.