What should a hospital be like if it does not exhaust patients but heals them even before the doctor enters the ward? Can design influence stress, recovery speed, and the stability of the healthcare system during wartime? And why is it vitally important for Ukraine to rethink its approach to medical infrastructure right now?

Answers to these questions were provided during a unique webinar, «Modern Hospital Design and Human-Centred Care Solutions», which ZDOROVI held together with Sweco, a leading European company in the field of architectural and engineering design for medical facilities. It was the first open platform in Ukraine where Scandinavian experience in modern hospital design was laid out «brick by brick» — from architecture and technical solutions to data management, infection control, and human-centred spatial logic.

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What was discussed?

1. Human-centred design is not a trend, but the foundation of an effective system.

Sweco presented a model of a modern hospital based on seven key principles: prevention, flexibility, integration, accessibility, efficiency, evidence-based approach, and human-centred orientation. The focus is on patient comfort, reducing staff stress, fast and logical processes, inclusiveness, and the ability to adapt the building to future needs.

2. How architecture affects recovery speed

The Swedes shared practical insights:

– natural light reduces anxiety levels;

– single rooms with bathrooms reduce the risk of infection;

– well-thought-out staff routes save hundreds of hours of work each month;

– courtyards, gardens and walking areas help speed up rehabilitation.

These «little things» shape the level of medicine that patients actually experience.

3. Design Dialogue: how to create solutions in a few days that take months to develop in other countries

Sweco demonstrated its own Design Dialogue methodology – a series of structured workshops where architects, doctors and healthcare managers work together to create solutions that best suit a particular hospital. More than 100 such processes in different countries have proven that involving all parties is the basis for sustainable transformation.

4. Military challenges and the adaptability of medical facilities

For the first time, an issue that Ukrainian medical institutions are often forced to keep «off the record» was openly discussed: how to create hospitals that can operate during wartime? Swedish experts demonstrated practical approaches: a minimum of large glass surfaces, shelters in basement levels, backup technical systems, several independent entrances, and the ability to quickly repurpose premises without compromising comfort and quality of stay.

5. Psychiatric and veterans' wards – spaces that work for recovery

Low buildings, calm colours, nature, absence of triggering stimuli, specially designed logistics – all of this is critically important for veterans-friendly care. Ukraine is just beginning to develop such spaces, and Sweco shared its best practices.

6. AI in hospital design: how artificial intelligence is changing medical infrastructure

Sweco presented a separate section on the role of artificial intelligence in modern medicine:

– modelling patient and staff flows;

– simulating the work of departments to optimise logistics;

– designing operating and training centres with AI support;

– forecasting future healthcare system needs;

– digital tools to improve the work of doctors and managers.

AI is already becoming part of the infrastructure – not of the future, but of the present.

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Why is this important right now?

Ukraine faces an unprecedented challenge – to simultaneously restore hundreds of medical facilities and raise the quality of the healthcare system to a level never seen before. That is why events such as this webinar have been sorely lacking.

Questions such as «How much will the repairs cost?» must give way to questions such as «What kind of healthcare system are we building for the coming decades?» ZDOROVI operates in 24 regions and has provided support to over 950 medical facilities, and our goal is for Ukrainian hospitals to not just be rebuilt, but to be created according to the principles of modern, evidence-based, and people-centred infrastructure. This is an event for healthcare facility managers, architects, healthcare managers, engineers, designers, urban planners — everyone who will be shaping the design of Ukrainian hospitals in the coming years.

So, this webinar was the starting point for a big conversation: what is a modern hospital and how can we make sure that Ukrainian patients feel the changes not only in the equipment but also in the space itself? This is the first webinar in a series of joint events by ZDOROVI and Sweco on modern medical design.

The second event will take place on 11 December: «Resource-efficient hospitals, integrated systems and a holistic approach to design».

Registration

Ukraine now has a unique opportunity – not just to rebuild what has been destroyed, but to create a new model of healthcare: one that is people-centred, flexible and scientifically sound.

Watch the recording of the master class

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