Extract

The primary building performance assessing factor for large and complex buildings such as hospitals is the safety of its occupants during emergencies such as fire. Previous research had identified multiple factors in the architectural design of fire emergency evacuations at hospitals. However, globally, fatalities have resulted from fire accidents in hospitals indicating that more factors have complex interactions on the performance and patient safety during fire emergencies. This paper highlights additional factors that influence the architectural design of hospitals to ensure safe egress for occupiers including critical care patients. The research follows a narrative inquiry methodology within the constructivism epistemology and interpretivism framework. The method considers data triangulation consisting of a systematic literature review that explores previously published papers and is substantiated by the limited semi-structured interviews, which provide a realistic understanding of the topic. These interviews are followed by narrative analysis and the results are presented by system dynamics mapping. The research has concluded a total of 9 key factors directly affecting the safety of evacuation in hospitals with the novel factors of patients’ mobility rate and evacuation conditions being the most influential factors that need to be considered. The practical implication of this research is that it provides a better understanding of the necessity to include the patients’ mobility while designing for safe evacuation in hospitals during fire emergencies.

Keywords Safe egress; evacuation; hospitals; fire.

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