Design for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is an essential part of the healthcare continuum and can benefit both the individual and the community. Design for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation addresses a vast group of health conditions including neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory cases, as well as sensory impairments that can lead to developmental delays. Patients preparing for surgery, recovering from trauma, or receiving treatment for cancer can all benefit from rehabilitative programs to improve their health outcomes. Athletes and otherwise healthy individuals can also benefit from the science of physical and sports medicine to improve performance and recovery time.

This book provides a brief introduction to physical medicine and rehabilitation and its historical and global context for readers interested in the role of design. It introduces various settings where rehabilitation can be provided and their relevant patient demographics, influential trends, and available research, thus painting a full picture for readers who wish to better understand this field. The book lays the groundwork for making design decisions by sharing available standards, project case studies, environment and behavior literature, and applicable theories. Finally, it provides design and planning guidelines as well as trends that can impact future planning and design of environments that support rehabilitation programs. The book also highlights existing knowledge gaps in the design and planning of rehabilitation environments and provides a framework for environment and behavior researchers who wish to expand the field by addressing the needs of patients, staff, and families.

Samira Pasha, M.Arch (4+2), PhD, AIA, LSSGB is a healthcare project executive with Hammes Healthcare where she is involved with healthcare projects during programming, design, and construction stages. Prior to this role, she practiced as a US based architect and planner on healthcare projects located in the United States, South America, and the Middle East. Dr. Pasha’s research journey started with completion of PhD dissertation at Texas A&M University, College of Architecture. Her research has been focused on pediatric healthcare environments, mental and behavioral health facilities, and rehabilitation environments; and has been published in peer reviewed journals and in the form of a book: Design for Mental & Behavioral Health (2017).

Mardelle McCuskey Shepley, B.A., M.Arch., M.A. (Psych.), D.Arch., WELL AP, LEED AP, EDAC, emerita FAIA is an emerita professor at Cornell University in the Department of Human Centered Design and emerita Director of the Cornell Institute for Health Futures. Mardelle worked 16 years in architectural/design firms prior to becoming an academic and continues to consult. She is founder of ART+Science, Design Research Consultants. Dr. Shepley has authored/co-authored seven books, including Healthcare Environments for Children and their Families (1998), A Practitioner’s Guide to Evidence-based Design (2008), Design for Critical Care (2010), Health Facility Evaluation for Design Practitioners (2010), Design for Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care (2014), Design for Mental & Behavioral Health (2017) and Peace by Design (2025). She has published more than 150 papers and book chapters.