Hospital occupancy rates can be multiplied by space resource management and optimization


The average occupancy rate for outpatient clinic rooms in older hospitals located in well-being services counties in Finland can currently be as low as 20%. This means an admission room may remain empty for up to four out of five working days per week. If the occupancy rate were closer to the target of 70%, the well-being services counties could redirect the money saved on rent, heating, lighting, and building maintenance toward enhancing patient care.
The primary objective of the Finnish social services reform is to provide equal and high-quality services to all citizens. Another crucial aim is to impede rising costs. Both objectives are served by designing modern hospital facilities to provide well-being services and utilizing existing spaces more efficiently. In these facilities, square meters are no longer wasted on corridors, corners, or running idle; instead, the focus is on their efficient utilization.
Efficient square footage management is also connected to changes impacting doctors’ daily routines. In the future, doctors will no longer have their own offices or examination rooms; instead, the number of rooms will be optimized based on patient and reception needs rather than those of the doctors themselves.