Marsha Fountain, RN, MSN Vice President Robby Aull, AIA The Stichler Group Inc. Arlington, Texas

One in four Americans will develop cancer in his or her lifetime. As a disease associated with the aging of the population, its incidence is expected to continue to grow. Advances in treatments, as well as in approaches to carrying out such treatments, are ushering in a new paradigm in the design of cancer care centers. Among the trends in cancer care under way are an increasing emphasis on administering treatments on an outpatient basis; consolidation of cancer services in one facility capable of providing the full continuum of care; and providing patients with current research information on disease and treatment alternatives.

Two facilities exemplifying these trends are the Hoag Cancer Center, built in 1991 in Newport Beach, California, and the Klabzuba Cancer Center, built in 1996 in Forth Worth, Texas. Developers of both facilities incorporated significant patient input into their designs from qualitative research obtained through focus groups. Each center, while addressing the important clinical needs of cancer patients, was designed for the provision of "holistic" care, in which cancer patients are viewed as a whole person, taking into account their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Each offers state-of-the-art treatment within a warm, home-like setting designed to make the patient comfortable and optimize his or her chances for recovery.

Go to Article