Cross-Cultural Insights into Hospital Design: Chinese Perspectives on Australian Hospitals

Abstract

Objective

This study explores how experienced Chinese healthcare design professionals perceive Australian hospital environments to shed light on hospital design perspectives across cultural contexts.

Background

While hospital design significantly influences patient outcomes and staff performance, limited research addresses how hospital environments are perceived across cultural and national contexts. This study fills that gap by examining Australian hospitals through the lens of Chinese professionals with extensive experience in healthcare design.

Methods

Using a mixed-methods approach, post-visit surveys were administered to twenty-three Chinese healthcare design professionals after guided tours of five large Australian tertiary hospitals. The survey captured demographic data, ranked key design priorities, and collected qualitative feedback on spatial experience and design performance.

Results

Participants identified strengths in Australian hospitals, including child-friendly features, spatial comfort, biophilic integration, and service efficiency. However, they also point to challenges related to wayfinding clarity and public amenity distribution. Contrasts were drawn with Chinese hospitals, where design priorities emphasise functionality, administrative control, and throughput under systemic and governance constraints.

Conclusions

Findings reflect differing design values shaped by cultural and institutional factors. While Australian hospitals are seen as therapeutic and inclusive, Chinese counterparts prioritise operational efficiency. The study highlights opportunities for knowledge exchange and culturally sensitive adaptation, offering practitioner-informed insights that can inform future comparative and empirical research on hospital design. (1.3)