Learning Form and With Healthcare Workers About the Environmental Design Needs of Mohalla Clinics in Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From a Participatory Design Study

Abstract

This study examines how healthcare workers in Mohalla Clinics (MCs) perceived environmental design needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it addressed three questions from the perspective of healthcare workers: What were key environmental design features of MCs that impacted delivery of primary healthcare services? How did these features influence human-environment interactions in MCs during the COVID-19 pandemic? How can insights from these interactions inform design the of MCs resilient to future pandemics? Using a participatory design approach, 35 healthcare workers from 9 MCs were interviewed and they sketched out their daily routines on a plan view of their MC. Analysis of data revealed need for—reconfigurable layouts; unidirectional patient workflow; use of building fenestrations as portals for healthcare services. Therefore, the study proposes—flexible and reconfigurable interior layouts, unidirectional patient workflow, and modular fenestrations—to enhance resilience of MCs for future public health emergencies.