Design criteria for the imaging department in the general hospital planning

As a consequence of the improvements in medicine and technology, significant developments have been experienced in the health sector. Therefore, certain solutions are sought to keep up with the developments in hospital planning. One of the departments where such developments have been felt heavily in hospital planning is the imaging department. Within this context, this study aims to identify the design criteria for the imaging department which is one of the department most affected by the advanced technology and medical science.In the introduction part, the purpose, scope and methodology of the study are discussed; and the conclusion part highlights the importance of the imaging department in the overall hospital planning as well as the fact that the design guide drafted based on the design criteria will contribute to the imaging departments to be designed today and in the future.In the 2nd chapter, the terms health and the health organizations are defined and classified; furthermore, after the accreditation activities for the health organizations are explained the hospitals are defined and classified. In the 3rd chapter, settlement decisions, the future developments, patient-centered design and patient safety issues among the factors affecting the hospital design are discussed and then general hospital units, the relations between such units and the spatial organization system at hospitals are explained.In the 4th chapter, the location of the imaging department, which plays a great role in the diagnosis of diseases, in the hospital planning, its configuration, planning typologies, space requirements, types and features of rooms are highlighted together with the physical factors such as the size of the devices and radiation affecting the design of the department as well as the basic design criteria such as the work flow, circulation, comfort, direction finding, flexibility and economy. In the 5th chapter, 16 examples selected among the general hospital projects, which have been implemented or which are under construction in the last 15 years in Turkey, Germany and the USA, are examined based on the design criteria for the imaging department which are explained in the 4th chapter.In the 6th chapter, the design guide which will assist in the design of the imaging department based on the information and the examinations provided in the previous chapters. Finally, in the 7th chapter, the overall conclusions are drawn.Key Words: general hospital, design of the imaging department, medical and technological development, patient-centered design.