Palisade™ Collection: Elevating the Patient Experience

Not long ago, strict hospital visitor policies prevented family from keeping a close watch on their loved ones. Across the U.S., even the next-of-kin's ability to comfort, support, and protect the patient was often limited to a narrow window of visiting hours. Staying overnight in the patient room was nearly unheard of. But today, healthcare organizations are recognizing the value of adding loved ones to the patient's support team.

Evidence confirms the value of family members' presence. Studies have linked the presence of family members to less patient anxiety, lower mortality rates, and fewer medical errors. While the need for accommodating family members in the patient room has become ever more apparent, the solutions for doing so have lagged behind.

With a long history of addressing patient needs in healthcare environments, Nemschoff took on the challenge. In 2013, the company's R&D group asked designer Jess Sorel of Sorel Studio in San Francisco to envision a better way to accommodate guests in healthcare facilities.

The design brief for the project included the famous quote by Charles Eames: "The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests." Designer Jess Sorel took this to mean "that the accommodations had to host the guest, as well as signal a sense of welcome from the care facility. The hosting relationship had to be readily apparent."

The Palisade Collection is the result. It is designed to encourage guest participation in the healing process by creating an accommodating and responsive setting within the patient room. Using a human-centered approach to incorporate comfortable and accommodating amenities, this collection is designed to anticipate and support the needs of guests.

Offering seating, technology support, lighting, storage, sleeping and work space, Palisade has thoughtful features that make it easy for guests to talk eye-to-eye with patients, share meals, entertain themselves, check in at the office, and sleep without leaving the patient's side.

Palisade's design yields high functionality while minimizing its footprint. Built-in chargers for phones and tech let guests stay connected to the outside world while staying near the patient. The sofa coverts into a sleep surface, the stool tucks into the daystand, and a mobile table has legs that slide under the sofa—options that let guests choose where to position themselves for conversation, comfort, work, meals, or sleep.

From the way the sofa arms and back wrap the user, to the tree-like form of the coat stand, to the visually soft yet functionally durable and easily cleanable materials, Palisade brings a warm, welcoming modernism to healthcare settings.

Nemschoff’s new Palisade™ Collection is designed to encourage guest participation in the healing process by creating an accommodating and responsive setting within the patient room.

Using a human-centered approach to incorporate comfortable and accommodating amenities, this new Nemschoff collection is designed to anticipate and support the needs of guests within the limited space of patient rooms. It is also designed for use in other areas within health systems, such as lounges, waiting rooms, and public spaces, where the experience of waiting can influence the perception of care, and also caregiver lounges and respite rooms

Palisade is based on research that shows the presence of family members can improve patient communication, satisfaction, and outcomes. In a recent study at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, family support was shown to lower the potential for patient injury, preventing additional intervention and cost. By providing family areas in patient rooms, patient falls were cut by two-thirds compared to rooms with no family accommodations.

“It is well known that the support of family and friends has a positive effect on the patient experience,” said Dave Ruppel, Nemschoff Vice President and General Manager. “The Palisade Collection was designed to offer a sense of welcome and comfort to guests, supporting their need to work, eat, sleep, and stay close to their loved one.”

“Palisade is a thoughtful solution that recognizes the fact that families and friends function as a critical part of the caregiving team,” added Louise McDonald, President of Herman Miller Healthcare.

Building upon years of knowledge and leadership in the sleep solutions category, Nemschoff designed Palisade to be a more complete family-centered solution that elevates the critical role of guest and family support to improve outcomes, and enhance safety and workflow within the patient room.

The Palisade Collection features seating, technology support, lighting, storage, sleeping, and work space. Designed for Nemschoff by Jess Sorel of Sorel Studio, Palisade supports multiple functions within the patient room footprint while providing the flexibility to adapt to the continuous change in healthcare facilities.

While traditional patient rooms focus on patients, Sorel was intrigued by the idea of focusing on another important element within that same space. In designing Palisade, he created an environment that speaks to patients’ guests first, instantly projecting a sense of welcome and support.

“From the minute you walk into the room, you can immediately see that there is something different here, and you are the target,” said Sorel. “Once this guest has been effectively cared for, it enables them to turn their attention to hosting the patient. It’s fascinating to think of hosting as not only a person-to-person relationship, but also something a space can communicate to a person.”

Palisade includes a sofa that converts to a sleep surface, open and intuitive storage, a guest stool designed to sit next to the bed and support eye-level guest-to-patient interactions, and a mobile table with legs that slide under the sofa for a more efficient footprint.

“Palisade is ideal for facilities where space is at a premium, but comfort and satisfaction can’t be compromised,” said Ruppel. “Through comfortable, flexible solutions, facilities will be ready to support patients and their guests, while still maximizing hospitals’ use of space and return on investment.”

Three key concepts that the Palisade Collection embodies are accommodation, connectivity, and space efficiency:

• Accommodation: Palisade’s thoughtful features make it easier for guests to talk eye-to-eye with patients, share meals, check in with the office, and sleep without leaving the patient’s side. Meeting all of these needs makes guests feel welcomed and keeps them connected to their loved one so they can support the healing process.

• Connectivity: Optional technology lets guests stay connected to the outside world while staying near the patient. Dedicated power and USB outlets ensure that guests can easily find a place to plug in their phones and laptops without disrupting caregivers’ activities.

• Space Efficiency: Integral features make Palisade more functional while minimizing its overall footprint. Individual components are designed to nest, move, or provide extra functions—such as lighting and coat storage—by leveraging vertical space.

Nemschoff’s Palisade™ Collection has earned an unprecedented seven industry design awards since its introduction last June at the NeoCon World‘s Trade Fair.

In June, it earned a Best of NeoCon Silver Award and was a HIP at NeoCon honoree at NeoCon 2014.

At the annual Healthcare Design Conference in November, Palisade earned both Nightingale Gold and “Best of Show” wins.

In December, Palisade earned Interior Design Magazine’s prestigious “Best of Year” Award in Healthcare Furniture. Also in December, Palisade was named a “Record Products Winner” by Architectural Record.

Most recently, Palisade earned a “Good Design™ Award” from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

Nemschoff Director of Product Development Gary Cruce said, “We’re particularly proud that this product continues to be singled out for recognition. The support of family and friends is critical to the patient experience, and yet it really hasn’t been given the full attention it deserves. We feel that Palisade brings significant design innovation and functionality to the place where it matters most -- the patient room.”